(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/121227_world_nicaragua_volcano_430a.photoblog600.jpg)Hector Retamal / AFP - Getty ImagesA cloud of smoke and ash pours from the San Cristobal volcano in Nicaragua on Wednesday.By ReutersNicaragua's tallest volcano has belched an ash cloud hundreds of feet into the sky in its latest bout of sporadic activity, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents, the government said on Wednesday.
The 5,725-foot San Cristobal volcano, which sits less than 100 miles north of the capital, Managua, in the country's northwest, has been active in recent years and went through a similar episode in September (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/08/13750924-nicaragua-volcano-belches-ash-cloud-residents-evacuated?lite).
The latest activity began late Tuesday.
Follow @NBCNewsWorld (https://twitter.com/NBCNewsWorld) Government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo called on residents who live within a two-mile radius of the volcano to leave the area. About 300 families live near the volcano.
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