Guatemala raises red alerts as Fuego volcano enters critical explosive phase

Guatemala's disaster management agency issued red alerts across three provinces on Tuesday as Fuego volcano intensified its eruption, producing lava flows, pyroclastic currents, and ash plumes exceeding 6,000 meters. The volcano, located approximately 35 kilometers southwest of Guatemala City, began erupting Monday morning with intensity increasing through nightfall.

At least 1,421 people were evacuated from 18 affected communities and housed in shelters, with over 29,000 additional people impacted by ashfall across the provinces of Sacatepéquez, Escuintla, and Chimaltenango. Authorities reported pyroclastic currents traveling five to seven kilometers down the volcano's ravines, with ash dispersal reaching up to 120 kilometers westward. The volcanic institute confirmed the eruption had lasted 23 hours by Tuesday morning, with activity characterized as a "paroxysmal phase" marked by sustained increases in volcanic energy, heavy gas and ash emissions, and strong seismic signals.

Authorities warned of ongoing threats from pyroclastic flows and lahars—fast-moving mudflows that could be triggered by forecasted rainfall. Despite reporting a "progressive reduction" in intensity by Wednesday, officials cautioned that accumulated material at the crater continued collapsing, potentially generating additional pyroclastic flows. Conred executive secretary Claudinne Ogaldes emphasized that evacuations were recommendations rather than mandatory orders under Guatemalan law, leading authorities to conduct house-to-house visits and station security forces to prevent looting, a key reason residents cited for reluctance to leave.

Education officials suspended face-to-face classes in three municipalities near the volcano, while a major highway encircling the mountain was closed. Guatemala's main international airport remained operational, though aviation authorities warned of ash affecting airspace west and west-southwest of the volcano extending toward the Mexican border. Authorities planned to monitor volcanic activity for approximately 72 hours.

Fuego is Central America's most active volcano and part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. A 2018 eruption killed 215 people and left a similar number missing, devastating a nearby village and affecting an estimated 1.7 million people. More recent eruptions in June 2025 and February 2026 prompted smaller preventive evacuations of several hundred residents.