Guatemala evacuates villages after Fuego volcano erupt
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 5 hours, 12 minutes AGO
Lava flows and clouds of ash out of the crater of the Fuego Volcano, as seen from San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Residents of two villages have evacuated their homes near Guatemala’s Fuego volcano following an eruption, the country's disaster management agency says.
Video of the eruption shows clouds of gas and ash over the volcano as lava and pyroclastic flows roll down.
The eruption began Monday morning and continued throughout the day, leading to the evacuation orders for the villages on the southern side of the mountain., according to Claudinne Ogaldes, executive secretary of the Guatemalan disaster managing agency, CONRED.
During a previous eruption of the Fuego volcano in June 2018, hundreds of people were killed and a whole village was destroyed. That episode affected as many as 1.7 million people, according to authorities.
The Fuego volcano is one of the most active in Guatemala. Another eruption in June last year spurred preventive evacuations.
Authorities evacuated around 250 people from El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas. CONRED also warned warned of ash spreading to nearby towns.
A major highway that passes close to the volcano, National Route 14, was closed. The Education Ministry suspended classes in nearby towns.