More Than 1,700 Evacuated After Powerful Eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego Volcano

The government of Guatemala issued a red alert —the highest danger level—following the eruption of the Fuego volcano, located in the south-central part of the country and about 22 miles from the capital.

Specifically, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), a Guatemalan government agency, declared a state of emergency in the departments of Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, and Escuintla, as detailed in a statement.

The powerful eruption forced the evacuation of at least 1,700 residents from villages near the crater and prompted authorities to declare the highest alert level in areas exposed to ashfall.

Fuego, the most active volcano in Central America, entered a new eruptive phase on Monday and intensified overnight, spewing lava and sending large columns of gas and ash into the air.

Both the visible glow and the volcanic plume had diminished by Tuesday afternoon. However, the eruption prompted additional evacuations, and authorities opened five shelters for affected residents.

CONRED also extended a lower-level alert across the rest of the country so that relevant authorities could closely monitor the situation and respond quickly to any emergency.

"SE-CONRED is maintaining an Orange Institutional Alert and a Red Departmental Alert in Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, and Escuintla as part of its response to the eruptive activity of the Fuego volcano," the agency wrote.

Fuego has experienced more than 60 major eruptions throughout its recorded history, alternating between periods of sustained effusive activity — marked by moderate explosions and lava flows — and larger, more violent eruptions involving pyroclastic flows.

Its most recent eruption was recorded last year.