This is the spectacular moment the Santiaguito volcano eruption was seen from the air in Guatemala.

Dramatic footage, including drone and thermal imagery, shows glowing, red-hot rocks and thick plumes of smoke shooting out on Monday, January 27.

Officials said the eruptive column from the summit crater exceeded 500 metres, with reports from INSIVUMEH confirming gas and ash plumes reaching up to 1,200 metres.

The explosions reportedly originate from ring fractures along the crater rim, where the El Caliente lava dome remains highly active.

Thermal imaging highlights the movement of hot volcanic material down the slopes, while Guatemala's wet season increases the risk of lahars.

Santiaguito is a sub-volcano of the Santa Maria Volcano in western Guatemala, rising 1,400 metres above the highlands near Quetzaltenango.

In 1902, a plinian eruption from Santa Maria killed 5,000 people and produced ash for 19 days, with an eruption cloud reaching 27,000 metres. This eruption, one of the strongest of the 20th century, is comparable to Mount Pinatubo's 1991 eruption.

A lateral crater formed on Santa Maria, and since 1922, a dome has grown into the separate volcanic cone known as Santiaguito.