Guatemala’s most active volcano erupts, hundreds evacuated

An active eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano has forced the evacuation of at least 1,600 people as pyroclastic flows roll down its slopes and ash spreads up to 120 kilometres away.

The eruption began Monday morning and intensified through the day into Tuesday, with a lava fountain reaching between 650 and 1,000 feet over the crater, according to Guatemala’s seismology institute. Authorities initially ordered evacuations for the villages of El Porvenir and Las Lajitas, before expanding orders as 18 communities were affected by ash and smoke.

Executive secretary of the disaster reduction agency Conred, Claudinne Ogaldes, noted that Guatemala’s evacuation orders aren’t legally binding, requiring officials to visit residents’ houses by house to encourage — not force — evacuation; some residents are refusing to leave over fears of looting. No lava flows or home damage have been reported so far.

Fuego is one of Central America’s most active volcanoes. A 2018 eruption killed over 200 people and left a similar number missing when pyroclastic flows engulfed nearby villages.

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