Key takeaways:
- Guatemala issued a nationwide orange alert, one level below the highest emergency level, after Fuego erupted Monday.
- Officials began evacuating two villages near the volcano, about 22 miles from Guatemala City.
- The Institute of Volcanology warned Fuego was “moving towards a more explosive phase,” with nearby western and southern communities at greatest risk.
Guatemala raised its emergency alert to the second-highest level after the Fuego volcano erupted Monday, sending lava down its slopes and ash nearly four miles into the sky as authorities began evacuating nearby villages.
The eruption at one of Central America’s most active volcanoes began Monday morning and intensified by nightfall. Live images Tuesday morning showed large clouds of gas and ash hanging over the volcano, while footage released by emergency services showed the eruption turning clouds red and lava moving down the slopes of the 12,346-foot volcano.
Guatemala’s disaster coordination agency, CONRED, issued a nationwide orange alert Monday. The alert is one level below red, the highest level, which indicates the most serious emergency. Officials began evacuating two villages near the volcano, which sits about 22 miles from Guatemala City.
The country’s Institute of Volcanology warned that Fuego was “moving towards a more explosive phase,” with ash plumes rising to more than 6,000 meters, or 19,685 feet. Officials said ashfall was affecting nearby communities and warned that dangerous volcanic debris could sweep down the volcano’s slopes.
CONRED said Tuesday that the flows posed a fast-moving threat. “These flows are mixtures of volcanic gases, ash, rocks, and high temperatures that move rapidly down the volcano’s slopes,” the agency said in a news alert.
Communities on Fuego’s western and southern flanks were considered at greatest risk, according to authorities. Officials also warned of continued ash falling on nearby areas.
Fuego’s activity has repeatedly forced evacuations in recent years. More than 500 people were evacuated last year after the volcano spewed gas and ash, with residents moved from communities near the crater to shelters. In 2023, another eruption forced about 1,200 people from their homes.
The volcano’s deadliest recent eruption came in 2018, when rivers of volcanic material swept down its slopes, killing 215 people, leaving a similar number missing and devastating a nearby village.
Guatemala lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a zone known for frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Fuego remains one of the region’s most active volcanoes, and authorities continued monitoring the eruption as ash, gas and lava flows threatened nearby communities.
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