Guatemalan authorities have initiated emergency evacuations for two southern communities situated near the Fuego volcano following a significant increase in eruptive activity. Claudinne Ogaldes, the executive secretary of the national disaster management agency, CONRED, confirmed that the eruption began on Monday morning and intensified throughout the day, necessitating preventive measures for the residents of El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas. The evacuation affects approximately 50 families, totaling roughly 250 individuals.
Live imagery from the area shows dense clouds of gas and ash rising from the volcano, while lava and pyroclastic flows are descending the mountain slopes at high speeds. According to a report from the Guatemalan Seismology, Vulcanology, Weather and Water Institute, the eruption has reached a heightened level of explosiveness, featuring a lava fountain that has risen between 200 and 300 meters (650 to 1,000 feet) above the crater.
In response to the escalating danger, CONRED has issued an orange alert and warned neighboring towns of potential ashfall. Transportation and education have also been impacted; National Route 14, a major highway passing near the volcano, has been closed to traffic, and the Ministry of Education has suspended classes in surrounding areas.
The Fuego volcano remains one of the most active in Guatemala. The country has a history of severe incidents involving this peak, most notably a June 2018 eruption that destroyed an entire village, resulted in hundreds of deaths, and impacted up to 1.7 million people. Another eruption in June last year spurred preventive evacuations.
