Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego Erupts, Prompting Evacuations and Warnings

Guatemala's disaster management agency CONRED issued evacuation notices for several towns near the highly active Volcan de Fuego on Tuesday, as it spewed columns of lava, gas, and ash some four kilometers (2.5 miles) into the sky. The volcano is located some 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Guatemala City. CONRED issued an orange warning, its second-highest level, and urged residents to move to emergency shelters outside of the volcano's path. Schools have been closed in the area and some businesses have temporarily shuttered. According to the agency, ash clouds have traveled as far as 60 kilometers (37 miles) to the west of the volcano, and could significantly disrupt air traffic in the area. Guatemala's Institute of Seismology and Volcanology stressed that the volcano is experiencing its "most intense phase" and that people should be extremely careful with a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) radius of it. Hikers warned to leave area Local media reported that onlookers continued to climb the nearby Acatenango volcano, despite a safety ban, in order to take videos of the eruption to post on social media. Volcan de Fuego is nearly 3,800 meters (12,500 feet) tall and sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Central America, and in 2018 a violent eruption claimed the lives of some 200 people. Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah