Guatemala evacuates communities as Fuego Volcano enters dangerous new eruptive phase
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from several communities, with nearly 300 people sheltering in temporary evacuation centers.
FILE: Lava leaps into air as Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego erupts
Tens of thousands of people were at risk after Guatemala’s Volcan de Fuego erupted Sunday night. Footage captured by X user @kevart_ shows lava spewing out of the volcano.
GUATEMALA - Guatemala's Fuego Volcano — known as Volcan de Fuego — has once again erupted, prompting hundreds of residents to evacuate as conditions threaten nearby communities.
The Executive Secretary of the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), Claudinne Ogaldes, said over 650 people have been evacuated from several communities, with nearly 300 people sheltering in temporary evacuation centers.
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Officials have warned that additional communities could be forced to evacuate if volcanic activity intensifies. The first evacuations focused on the communities of El Porvenir and Las Lajitas, officials said.
Fuego volcano erupts as seen from Alotenango, Sacatepequez department, some 65 kilometres southwest Guatemala City on March 10, 2025.
(JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
An Institutional Orange Alert has been issued due to activity at the Fuego volcano, and a permanent presence is also being maintained at the entrance to the Acatenango volcano to prevent tourists from climbing, with the aim of safeguarding lives and reducing exposure to risk, according to CONRED.
According to Guatemala's Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (INSIVUMEH), the eruption is producing pyroclastic density currents — which are fast-moving avalanches of superheated gas, ash and volcanic rock — traveling three to four miles downhill on the volcano's slopes.
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Eruptive activity is sending ash, volcanic gases and incandescent rock fragments and lava into the air, with ash columns expected to rise thousands of feet above sea level and drift downward.
A presence is being maintained at the entrance to the Acatenango volcano to prevent tourists from ascending, with the aim of safeguarding lives and reducing exposure to risk.
(CONRED / FOX Weather)
INSIVUMEH said 34 seismic events have been recorded in Guatemala in the last 24 hours.
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The Fuego Volcano is no stranger to eruptions, with more than 60 happening since the 1500s. Fuego Volcano is Central America's most active volcano, according to researchers with Oregon State University.
Fuego volcano erupts as seen from Alotenango, Sacatepequez department, some 65 kilometres southwest Guatemala City on March 10, 2025.
(JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Another volcanic eruption happened in June 2025, though the June 2018 eruption stands out for its deadly destruction. More than 110 people were killed, with another 197 reported missing and extensive damage, according to the Global Volcanism Program.
Emergency officials are monitoring the volcano and are urging residents to follow evacuation orders, avoid restricted areas and rely on official updates as conditions evolve.