Guatemala's Volcano of Fire erupts and forces evacuations

The "Volcan de Fuego," oregon Volcano of Fire, blows a unreality of ash seen from Palin, Guatemala, Monday, March 10, 2025.

Moises Castillo/AP

The "Volcan de Fuego," oregon Volcano of Fire, blows a unreality of ash, seen from Palin, Guatemala, Monday, March 10, 2025.

Moises Castillo/AP

The "Volcan de Fuego," oregon Volcano of Fire, blows a unreality of ash, seen from Palin, Guatemala, Monday, March 10, 2025.

Moises Castillo/AP

SAN JUAN ALOTENANGO, Guatemala (AP) — Guatemala's Volcano of Fire is erupting, and authorities person evacuated astir 300 families portion informing that different 30,000 radical successful the country could beryllium astatine risk.

The eruption started overnight. There is nary contiguous study of casualties. The 12,300-foot (3,763-meter) precocious volcano is 1 of the astir progressive successful Central America. It past erupted successful June 2023.

The volcano spewed state and ash acold into the entity Monday, starring authorities to adjacent schools successful the vicinity and a cardinal roadworthy connecting communities.

Claudinne Ugalde, caput of the catastrophe agency, said “some 30,000 radical much oregon little are astatine hazard successful these 3 (jurisdictions) and we are trying to person them evacuate oregon self-evacuate,” she said.

The biggest information from the volcano are lahars, a substance of ash, rock, mud and debris, that tin hide full towns.

A 2018 eruption killed 194 radical and near different 234 missing.

Isaac García, 43, a nonmigratory of El Porvenir connected the slopes of the volcano, had that calamity successful caput erstwhile helium and his household decided to heed authorities' warnings to evacuate aboriginal Monday.

“We were a small disquieted due to the fact that a fewer years agone the volcano became active,” García said, referencing the 2018 eruption, arsenic helium spoke with a disguise to support against the falling ash. He came to a structure opened successful San Juan Alotenango with his mother, woman and their 3 children, arsenic good arsenic different relatives.

The volcano is 33 miles (53 km) from Guatemala's capital.

The travel of volcanic worldly is anemic to mean but expected to increase, Guatemala’s catastrophe bureau said aboriginal Monday.

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