Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupts, red alert issued as 1,400 flee
The Volcán de Fuego, 40 km southwest of Guatemala City, began erupting Monday morning, sending an ash column 5 km high. Authorities declared the highest alert level red for three districts and evacuated more than 1,400 people.
Eruption and alert escalation
On Monday morning, 3 August, the Volcán de Fuego, located 35 to 40 kilometres southwest of Guatemala City, began a new eruptive phase. The volcano ejected a column of ash, gas, and lava fragments that rose 4 to 5 kilometres high, reaching 5,000 metres above sea level, according to Conred and Insivumeh. The agency first declared an Orange alert, the second-highest level, and later on Tuesday raised it to red for the departments of Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, and Escuintla. Insivumeh stated that the volcano had entered its most intense phase of the current eruption. The volcano is also just 16 kilometres from Antigua, a former capital and popular tourist destination.
The volcano is currently in its most intense phase.
Evacuations and affected communities
Evacuations began overnight Monday into Tuesday. Initially, about 250 people from 50 families in El Porvenir and Las Lajitas were ordered to leave. By Tuesday night, Conred head Claudinne Ogaldes reported that more than 1,400 people had been relocated to emergency shelters, including a community hall in San Juan Alotenango, roughly 10 kilometres from the volcano. The operation deployed 23 firefighters and 11 vehicles. Schools were suspended, and national road 14 was closed. Conred estimated that roughly 29,000 people in various localities were affected by ashfall.
Volcanic hazards and ash dispersion
Insivumeh observed a lava fountain 200 to 300 metres high above the crater. Pyroclastic flows, fast-moving currents of hot gas, ash, and rock, descended through the Las Lajas, Honda, Seca, Taniluyá, and Ceniza ravines. The agency warned that these flows could reach greater distances if the eruption strengthens. The ash cloud initially spread about 60 kilometres west, then extended to 120 kilometres west and northwest, potentially disrupting air traffic in Chimaltenango and Suchitepéquez. Authorities advised a 10-kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano.
- Monday morning, 3 August: Volcán de Fuego erupts, ash column reaches 4-5 km.
- Conred declares second-highest alert level Orange.
- Overnight Monday to Tuesday: 350 people from El Porvenir and Las Lajitas evacuated.
- Tuesday, 4 August: Highest alert level red declared for Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, and Escuintla; 1,400 evacuated.
- Pyroclastic flows increase, ash cloud extends 120 km west and northwest.
Tourist incursions and access bans
Despite a climbing prohibition, tourists were seen on the nearby Acatenango volcano, which offers a vantage point for observing Fuego's activity. Videos appeared on social media platforms such as TikTok. The national civil police later blocked access to both Fuego and Acatenango, stating the measure was necessary to protect lives and prevent risky situations.
Historical context and regional setting
The 3,800-metre Fuego is one of Central America's most active volcanoes, normally producing dozens of minor eruptions daily. It lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone encircling the Pacific Ocean. In 2018, a catastrophic eruption killed at least 215 people, left a similar number missing, and obliterated a village. More than 1.7 million people were affected. Last year, the volcano experienced two larger eruptions.
