The explosive situation at Masaya Volcano National Park is reportedly "under control" but the "gateway to hell" is still under careful vigilance following an acid-reflex moment this morning, when the Santiago crater coughed up several burning rocks that led to a brush fire on the side of the volcano.

The park was closed early this morning as fire brigades battled and controlled the flames, according to Guillermo González, director of the National System of Disaster Response and Prevention (SINAPRED).

Ash covers the visitor's parking lot at Masaya Volcano (photo/ GRAPHOS Producciones)

SINAPRED today activated local disaster-response committees in the neighboring municipalities of Masaya, Nidirí and Catarina, according to the government. The official media outlet said the CPCs (Sandinista Councils of Citizen Power) have also been instructed to fuss about importantly.

Since the explosion at 8:30 this morning, there have been 18 smaller tremors ranging in magnitude from 2.1-2.4, González told official media. But Jorge Castro, director of the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER) reports that the intensity of the seismic activity has been diminishing throughout the day.

This morning's volcanic burp was probably a good thing, authorities claim. "The specialists say the volcano found a way to release some pressure," González said.

Nevertheless, firefighters from Masaya and Nindirí, as well as 120 soldiers remain deployed inside the park to monitor the situation further and respond to any similar hiccups in the coming hours, González said.  

In the meantime, the government is patting itself on its back for responding to the volcano's threat.

"The most important thing is that the situation is under control, the model of citizen power has responded and the institutions associated with this model were present and the brigades responded in an effective manner that allowed us to control the fires," González said.