MANILA - The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Monday ordered the temporary suspension of operations at the Legazpi Airport due to massive ash clouds from Mayon Volcano.

In an advisory, CAAP Director General Jim Sydiongco said the airport would be temporarily closed starting 2:21 pm "due to massive ash clouds brought about by the recent eruption of Mayon Volcano."

• Read: Alert raised, more evacuations eyed as Mayon spews ash

Alert level 4 was raised on Monday and the danger zone has been extended to an 8-kilometer radius.

Legazpi airport operations suspended at 2:21pm today until further notice due to massive ash clouds from Mayon Volcano: pic.twitter.com/HDWLzGPFxE

— Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat) January 22, 2018

"The public is strongly advised to be vigilant and desist from entering this danger zone. Civil aviation authorities must also advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano's summit as ash from eruptions can be hazardous to aircraft," Phivolcs has said.

Officials said the number of evacuees could swell up to 80,000 from 27,000 since the alert level was raised one notch higher.

• Read:Photo of Mayon Volcano sparks romance in social media users' hearts