Alarm level orange: Vulkan de Fuego in Guatemala breaks out!

Alarm level orange: Vulkan de Fuego in Guatemala breaks out!

Volcán de Fuego, Guatemala - on June 6, 2025, at 7:25 p.m., the Volcán de Fuego broke out again in Guatemala and caused worrying situations in the area. The volcano, which is known as one of the most active volcanoes of Central America, became a danger to hundreds of people. Ash and lava were expelled from his crater, and a lava flow of about 1,200 meters in length fell from the summit. The Guatemaltek authorities quickly react to the impending danger and brought more than 500 people from the surrounding region to safety in order to protect them from the ashfall and the dangers of lava stream. According to vienna.at, the ashent

The Volcán de Fuego, with a height of almost 3,800 meters and about 40 kilometers southwest of Guatemala city, has experienced several eruptions in the past ten years, including a catastrophic eruption in 2018, in which hundreds of people died. The National Coordination for Disaster Reduction (Conred) has increased alarm status to orange and recommends evacuation of two nearby areas. They have set up increased surveillance within a radius of seven kilometers around the volcano and banned access for tourists, such as semana.com reports.

evacuation measures and safety precautions

The evacuation measures have been implemented quickly, tomorrow after the first reports, 1,054 people from five communities have already been brought to safety. These evacuated were housed in a sports center in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, about 35 kilometers from the capital. A total of 13 emergency accommodations were set up in four nearby communities that can offer space for around 7,600 evacuated. The lessons in schools in the region were discontinued from precautionary measures and a nearby road was closed to ensure the safety of the population.

The eruptive pillar of the volcano reached a height of 6,000 meters above sea level and moved over 100 kilometers in a western and southwest direction. The experts have found that although there is a "tendency to accept" the eruptive activities, there are still pyroclastic currents and large amounts of ash in the air. So about 130,000 people are at risk from the ashfall, which increases the urgency of the measures.

Central America's volcanic activity

The eruption of the Volcán de Fuego is not only an isolated event, but part of a larger pattern of volcanic activity in Central America. This region is known for its multitude of active volcanoes that emit gases, ash clouds and lava flows. In addition to the Volcán de Fuego, the Santa María and the Pacaya are also important volcanoes in Guatemala. The volcanic activity in the region results from the subduction of the Cocosplatte under the Caribbean disk, as eskp.de explains.

In the past 300 years there have been over 200 volcanic eruptions of the strength VEI ≥ 2. The proximity to volcanoes can be an advantage by providing good living conditions, transport connections and tourist possibilities, but also requires a constant risk assessment and surveillance.