Fuego Volcano Erupts, Prompts Nationwide Orange Alert in Guatemala
Evacuations Underway in Villages as Authorities Close Major Highway and Suspend Classes Amid Ashfall Warnings
Sarah Connor
Guatemala's Fuego volcano has erupted, spewing lava and triggering a nationwide orange alert.
The declaration warns of "imminent danger to life and property." The national disaster agency, CONRED, issues a critical warning.
Imminent danger to life and property.
CONRED claims eruptions could create further pyroclastic flows and billowing ash clouds. Ash already spreads to nearby towns.
El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas, two villages near the volcano, have initiated preventive evacuations. This impacts approximately 50 families or 250 people.
Residents and tourists are being directed to leave the area immediately.
National Route 14, a major highway passing close to the volcano, has been closed. The road linking the south of the country to Antigua is also closed.
The Education Ministry suspended classes in nearby towns, canceling lessons in schools close to the volcano. Ash reportedly rose six kilometers into the sky.
Authorities urge precautions with air traffic, though the capital's international airport remains unaffected.
Fuego, located 16km west of Antigua, keeps authorities on high alert due to the ongoing threat to nearby communities. In 2025, over 500 people were evacuated after Fuego spewed gas and ash.
Residents moved from communities near the crater to shelters. Another eruption in 2023 caused the evacuation of around 1,200 people.
In 2018, 215 people died in a village when rivers of lava poured down the volcano's slopes. A similar number of people were reported missing.