JAKARTA, Indonesia — A volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumatra erupted Sunday for the first time in 400 years, shooting black smoke and ash up into the air and prompting the evacuation of thousands of residents.

Mount Sinabung in the Karo district of North Sumatra province thundered to life shortly after midnight, shooting lava and other volcanic materials from its crater.

The government’s Directorate of Vulcanology upgraded the volcano’s danger status to the highest level minutes before the eruption of the peak, located northwest of Jakarta.

Using trucks, ambulances and buses, local authorities evacuated thousands of residents living in nearby hamlets immediately after the eruption, the state-run Antara news agency reported.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Local media quoted residents as saying lava was visible from several miles away, including in Berastagi, a tourist area in North Sumatra, while volcanic dust reached as far as the provincial capital of Medan.

More than 10,000 people in 17 communities were evacuated, said Muhammad Irsal, a Red Cross worker deployed to the area. They took refuge in government buildings and tents were also erected, Irsal said.

“”At midnight, there was a strong shock — believed to be a volcanic earthquake,”” Irsal said. “”Immediately after, we saw lava come down from the peak of Sinabung, and fire began to burn the forest at the foot of the mountain.””

He said thick smoke had reduced visibility.

Firman, a weather forecaster, said the eruption had so far not disturbed flights at Medan’s airport.

The Directorate of Vulcanology said Sinabung’s eruption was the first recorded since 1600.

“”Previously, there was no significant activity at the Mount Sinabung volcano, so the monitoring did not take priority since the 1600s,: Surono, the head of the directorate, was quoted as saying by Antara.

Surono, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said a team of experts were deployed to keep an eye on Sinabung’s activity.

Besides ordering the evacuations, experts also warned residents to wear face masks to avoid health problems from the volcano’s ash and told people living along rivers to be alert to the possibility of lava-induced floods.

Indonesia has the highest density of volcanoes in the world with about 500 in the “”Belt of Fire”” in the archipelago nation. Nearly 130 are active and 65 are listed as dangerous.