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Guatemala Declares Orange Alert as Fuego Erupts with Lava, Pyroclastic Flows and Tall Ash Plumes

Officials say the next 24–72 hours are critical because accumulated hot debris and forecast rain could trigger dangerous lahars that threaten nearby communities.

Overview

  • The eruption began Monday and intensified overnight, producing lava fountains up to about 200–300 meters, fast-moving pyroclastic flows and ash columns reported near 6,000 meters, officials said.
  • Authorities ordered preventive evacuations of communities including El Porvenir and Las Lajitas and roughly 1,700 people remain in temporary shelters while door-to-door outreach continues.
  • CONRED raised a nationwide orange alert and three departments—Sacatepéquez, Escuintla and Chimaltenango—are on red alert, with National Route 14 closed and in-person classes suspended in affected municipalities.
  • Widespread ashfall has reached tens of thousands of people—about 29,000 by government counts—and aviation agencies warned of ash in airspace west of the volcano.
  • Emergency agencies warned that rain over the next 72 hours could remobilize hot volcanic debris into lahars up to several kilometres long, and they are monitoring flows and urging voluntary evacuation and water protection measures.