Fuego Volcano Threatens One and a Half Million People
A powerful eruption has awakened a volcano known for its deadly past, prompting authorities to launch mass evacuations and declare the highest alert level for three regions.
A powerful eruption has awakened a volcano known for its deadly past, prompting authorities to launch mass evacuations and declare the highest alert level for three regions.
A powerful eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala on Tuesday, August 5, 2026, led to the declaration of a red alert for three regions home to about 1.6 million people. Authorities have so far evacuated more than 1,700 residents from villages near the crater, while a massive ash cloud spreads westward.
Fuego volcano, whose name means "fire" in Spanish and which is considered the most active volcano in Central America, entered an eruptive phase on Monday morning, August 4. Activity intensified overnight from Monday to Tuesday. The director of the volcanology institute Insivumeh, Edwin Rojas, described the situation as very serious. "The volcano is going through one of its most critical explosive phases," Rojas stated, adding that the volcano is emitting rivers of mud, incandescent rock, gas, and ash.
According to Insivumeh data, a lava fountain 200 to 300 meters high has formed above the crater, while the ash column has risen to more than 7,000 meters. The ash is dispersing at altitudes of 5,000 to 6,000 meters and traveling up to 130 kilometers westward.
The National Coordination Agency for Disaster Assistance (CONRED) began evacuating villages near the volcano on Monday evening, when it issued an orange alert at the national level. On Tuesday, the alert was raised to red for the regions of Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, and Escuintla. CONRED's executive secretary, Claudinne Ogaldes, stated that about 29,000 people are directly exposed to ash and urged residents to wear protective masks and cover water and food supplies.
The Ministry of Education suspended in-person classes in schools in three nearby towns. One of the evacuated residents, Alejandro Garcia, shared his experience with AFP. "We ran outside, terrified," Garcia said, describing the sight of lava flowing down the slopes.
Guatemala lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area known for intense seismic and volcanic activity. Fuego volcano, standing 3,763 meters tall, has a fearsome history. Its most notorious eruption occurred in 1902, when about 30,000 people lost their lives in just a few minutes. In more recent history, the 2018 eruption claimed 215 lives, with around 200 people reported missing after lava flows devastated a village on the volcano's slopes.
