Guatemala's Fuego volcano eruption forces hundreds to evacuate
A powerful eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano has forced hundreds of residents to flee, with lava flows and an ash column rising six kilometres into the sky.
Hundreds of people living on the slopes of Guatemala's Fuego volcano have left their homes after a major eruption sent lava and ash into the air. Central America's most active volcano began erupting on Monday morning, with conditions worsening by nightfall and prompting authorities to issue the country's second-highest alert level.
By Tuesday, rivers of lava were streaming down the 3,763-metre volcano, located less than 100 kilometres from Guatemala City. Ash rose six kilometres into a red sky.
Local resident Alejandro Garcia, 68, told AFP: "Since early morning it was active. That night, the alarm was raised that we needed to evacuate." He said villagers left of their own accord out of fear, describing terrifying scenes of lava tumbling down the mountainside.
Firefighters said they transported at least 350 residents from the villages of El Porvenir and Las Lajitas to the eastward municipality of San Juan Alotenango. The evacuees are staying in a community hall where makeshift beds have been set up, while the number of people taken to other nearby towns remains unknown.
"If there were any chance of moving to a different house, it would be better, because you're always afraid since the volcano doesn't give any warning," said Lidia Ortiz, 40, at the shelter. The southern city of Escuintla was sheltering dozens more families, including children, local authorities reported.
Valeria Urizar, spokesperson for the national disaster agency Conred, said in a social media video: "If an evacuation is ordered or conditions pose a risk to your life, follow the principle of self-evacuation."
The country's Institute of Volcanology warned of hot volcanic debris flows down Fuego's slopes, with communities on the western and southern flanks at the greatest risk. The institute said the volcano had been erupting for 23 straight hours by Tuesday morning, although the intensity was easing.
"We've already gotten used to having the volcano constantly active, but this time it was really too much," said 50-year-old resident Sonia Vasquez.
Authorities urged "precautions with air traffic," but there has so far been no impact on the capital's international airport. The education ministry ordered the suspension of face-to-face classes in communities within two municipalities near the volcano. Traffic police also closed a road encircling the mountain range that connects the south coast with the colonial city of Antigua, the country's main tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Guatemala lies on the Pacific 'ring of fire' and experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity. There have been several mass evacuations in recent years because of Fuego's eruptions. Authorities evacuated more than 500 people last year after Fuego spurted gas and ash, another eruption in 2023 pushed around 1,200 people to evacuate, and in 2018, 215 people were killed and a similar number left missing when lava flows destroyed a village.
