Guatemala Orders Evacuations as Fuego Volcano Erupts, Issues Nationwide Orange Alert

Guatemala's disaster management agency ordered evacuations around the Fuego volcano after its eruption intensified through the day Monday, according to the Associated Press.

Claudinne Ogaldes, executive secretary of the agency known as CONRED, told the AP the eruption began Monday morning and grew more severe as hours passed. Authorities evacuated the village of El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas as a precaution, covering roughly 50 families, or about 250 people, according to CONRED's press statement.

Guatemala's Seismology, Vulcanology, Weather and Water Institute reported a lava fountain reaching between 200 and 300 meters, or 650 to 1,000 feet, above the crater. Live images showed large clouds of gas and ash over the volcano, with lava and pyroclastic flows moving rapidly down the slopes, per the AP.

CONRED declared an orange alert, the country's second-highest emergency level, and warned that ash could spread to nearby towns, according to Global Nation/Inquirer, which cited the agency's post on X. The volcano sits about 35 kilometers, or 22 miles, from Guatemala City.

Authorities closed National Route 14, a major highway that runs close to the volcano, and Guatemala's Education Ministry suspended classes in surrounding towns, Newsday reported.

A Pattern of Repeated Evacuations

Fuego is one of Guatemala's most active volcanoes, and this is far from the first time it has forced people from their homes. Global Nation/Inquirer reported that authorities evacuated more than 500 people last year after Fuego spewed gas and ash, moving residents into shelters. A 2023 eruption forced roughly 1,200 people out.

In June 2018, Fuego's eruption killed 215 people and left a similar number missing, according to Global Nation/Inquirer. Rivers of lava poured down the mountain and wiped out an entire village. The AP put the death toll from that disaster in the hundreds and said the eruption affected up to 1.7 million people across the region.

Guatemala sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches around the Pacific basin. That geography means eruptions and evacuations around Fuego have become a recurring feature of life for communities near the 3,763-meter, 12,346-foot peak.

The scale of this week's evacuation, roughly 250 people, is far smaller than the 2018 catastrophe or even last year's 500-person evacuation. CONRED's orange alert signals a serious but not maximum-level threat. Guatemala's alert system reserves its highest level, red, for imminent catastrophic danger.

Still, the mechanics driving concern remain consistent. Pyroclastic flows are fast-moving currents of hot gas and volcanic debris that can move much faster than people can run. Ashfall can ground flights and choke agriculture in surrounding towns. A past eruption forced the closure of Guatemala's main airport, according to Global Nation/Inquirer, though that closure isn't confirmed as part of this week's event in the sourcing available.

The road closure on National Route 14 also cuts off a route linking southern Guatemala to Antigua, the colonial city and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Global Nation/Inquirer flagged this as significant for regional transit and tourism.

None of the three reports available indicate casualties from this week's eruption, and none suggest the orange alert has been escalated to red. CONRED has not announced additional evacuations beyond the two communities named. The open questions are how long the eruption's more explosive phase will last and whether ash drift forces broader school or transportation shutdowns beyond what's already in place. Guatemalan authorities have not given a timeline for when residents of El Porvenir and Las Lajitas might be allowed to return.