A massive volcano in Guatemala is erupting and authorities have evacuated nearly 300 families while warning another 30,000 people in the area they could be at risk.
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The eruption at Volcano of Fire started overnight, spewing a dark cloud of ash. There are no immediate reports of casualties.
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Guatemala’s Conred disaster center said the volcano, named Fuego – Spanish for “fire” – was sending “pyroclastic flows,” a high-temperature mix of gas, ash and rock fragments, “through the ravines of the volcanic complex.”
The flow of volcanic material is weak to moderate but expected to increase, officials said.
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The 12,300-foot-high volcano, located about 33 miles southwest of Guatemala City, is one of the most active in Central America. It usually erupts every four to give years, but it last erupted in June 2023. More than 1,000 people were evacuated during that eruption.
A 2018 eruption killed 194 people and left another 234 missing.
Guatemala has two other active volcanoes — Santiaguito in the west of the country and Pacaya in the south.
