Guatemala declared a nationwide orange (danger) alert on Monday evening after a major eruption of Fuego, the most active volcano in Central America.
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The second-highest emergency alert was declared as the country’s disaster reduction and relief agency, Conred, evacuated two villages close to the volcano, located about 35 kilometres from the capital, Guatemala City.
However, this is not the first such instance. Guatemala faces frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a string of volcanoes and earthquake-prone sites around the Pacific Ocean where roughly 90 per cent of the world’s earthquakes occur and about 75 per cent of its active volcanoes are located.
Fuego, which rises 3,763 metres above sea level, is known for its frequent eruptions. Guatemala is home to 37 volcanoes, although many are considered dormant or extinct.
The volcano erupted several times in 2025. During an eruption in June, more than 700 people were evacuated from communities in Escuintla, Sacatepéquez and Chimaltenango as a precaution. Families, including those with young children, spent the night in temporary shelters after the volcano began emitting smoke and ash and sending lava flows down its slopes.
The eruption, which began on June 4, continued for around 30 hours. Ash plumes rose about five kilometres into the air, while lava accumulated around the crater. Authorities later declared the eruption over after volcanic activity subsided and large amounts of ash were no longer suspended in the atmosphere.
The government also suspended classes in nearby areas and closed a road linking the southern part of the country to the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Another eruption in 2023 prompted the evacuation of around 1,200 people.
In June 2018, Fuego experienced its deadliest eruption in about four decades. Lava and pyroclastic flows swept down the volcano’s slopes, killing more than 200 people.
