Guatemala volcano erupts, prompts evacuation of villagers

Guatemalan authorities have evacuated more than 350 people after the Fuego volcano erupted and intensified, according to officials and media reports Tuesday.

Fuego, one of the most active volcanoes in the Western Hemisphere and the most active of Guatemala’s 37 volcanoes, began spewing lava and ash Monday, prompting emergency measures.

By early Tuesday, the country’s volcanic monitoring agency reported that pyroclastic flows, made up of hot gases, ash and volcanic debris, were continuing to move down the volcano’s southeastern slope, according to the BBC.

Guatemala’s National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), said in a special volcanological bulletin that the volcano had entered its most intense phase, with sustained emissions of gas, lava and ash from the crater.

Columns of gas and ash rose as high as 6,000 meters (nearly 4 miles (overnight, covering nearby communities, including San Pedro Yepocapa and parts of Chimaltenango, with volcanic ash.

The communities are located 7 to 10 kilometers (4 to 6 miles) from the crater, where the threat from the eruption is considered most urgent.

CONRED declared a nationwide orange alert, the second-highest warning, and began evacuations in communities across the departments of Sacatepéquez and Chimaltenango.

At least two villages were evacuated, with more than 350 residents moved since the eruption began.

Authorities warned that additional pyroclastic flows and large ash clouds could develop.

Residents were advised to keep doors and windows shut, while schools near the volcano suspended classes as a precaution.

Fuego lies about 16 kilometers west of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage city known for its colonial architecture and a popular tourist destination. The volcano is also a well-known hiking attraction.

Officials urged residents and visitors to avoid the volcano’s slopes and other high-risk areas.

In 2018, a catastrophic eruption of Fuego killed 215 people, many of them when rapidly moving pyroclastic flows swept through the Las Lajas ravine.