Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupts, forcing evacuations and raising concerns of mudslides

Aug 05, 2026 at 05:51 AM CDT

Craig Nigrelli, Julia Marshall

Guatemala's Fuego volcano is erupting, prompting evacuations and shelter-in-place orders and raising fears of dangerous mudslides. — Image credit: Josue Decavele/Anadolu via Getty Images

One of Central America’s most active volcanoes is erupting again.

Guatemala’s Fuego volcano has forced evacuations and shelter-in-place orders, raising fears of dangerous mudslides.

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About 30,000 people in communities below the volcano have been affected, with hundreds evacuated to emergency shelters.

A major highway that passes close to the volcano has been shut down, and the Education Ministry suspended classes in nearby towns.

AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo
AP Photo/Moises Castillo

Fuego volcano erupts

The eruption began Monday morning, prompting Guatemalan officials to raise the alert level to red and warn that the next 72 hours will be critical.

Incredible images from San Juan Alotenango show glowing volcanic rock, ash and gas erupting from the crater overnight.

Falling ash has made conditions dangerous, and mudflows stretching more than four miles down the mountain have done the same.

Forecast rain could make the mudflows even more dangerous. As of Tuesday, mudflows have not reached villages, and no structures have been reported damaged or at risk.

An active volcano

Fuego, which translates to “volcano of fire,” is one of the region’s most active volcanoes.

In 2018, a major eruption destroyed an entire village and killed hundreds of people. Plus, an eruption last year spurred preventative evacuations.

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Craig Nigrelli is an anchor and reporter for Straight Arrow. As the face of Unbiased Updates and Off Script, he delivers concise, impartial, fact‑based context grounded in 35 years of reporting and anchoring across major U.S. markets.

Julia Marshall is a morning digital producer at Straight Arrow. With a strong foundation in the newsroom, Julia brings sharp news instincts to Straight Arrow, along with exceptional writing and editing expertise across a wide range of topics and platforms, evident in her ability to quickly break news and produce clear, informative stories.

Tags: evacuations, international, Volcano

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Speaker 0 00:00:02 Central America’s most active volcano is erupting again. The Fuego volcano in Guatemala has forced evacuations, shelter in place, orders and raised fears of dangerous mudslides. Incredible images are coming out of San Juan allot Tenango with glowing, volcanic rock, ash, and gas erupting from the crater. Overnight. Wow, falling ash has made conditions dangerous and so have mud flows stretching more than four miles down the mountain. About 30,000 people in communities below the volcano have been affected with hundreds evacuated to emergency shelters. The eruption began Monday morning prompting Guatemalan officials to raise the alert level to red and warn that the next 72 hours will be critical. Rain in the forecast could make the mud flows even more dangerous. Fuego, which translates to Volcano of fire, is one of the most active volcanoes in the region. In 2018, a major eruption destroyed an entire village and killed hundreds of people. Head to the app to see more photos. Ever wonder what we learned? That doesn’t make it into a two minute story. That’s what off script is all about. Longer conversations, extra reporting, and then to make things more complicated. Environmental factors often interact with genetics and the context behind the headlines from the people who know the stories best. President Trump chose to go to Michigan and make his presence felt and make himself part of the conversation there. Unbiased updates off script. Thursdays at Straight Arrow.

Why this story matters

Guatemala's Fuego volcano is actively erupting, with conditions described as critical for the next 72 hours, affecting tens of thousands of people and disrupting transportation and schools in the surrounding region.

Evacuations and shelter disruptions

About 30,000 people have been affected, with hundreds relocated to emergency shelters as officials issued evacuation and shelter-in-place orders.

Travel and access disrupted

A major highway near the volcano has been shut down, directly limiting movement through the affected area.

Rain may worsen mudflows

Forecast rain could make mudflows, already stretching more than four miles, more dangerous, according to the article, though as of Tuesday no villages or structures had been reported damaged.

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Bias comparison

Media outlets on the left frame the eruption as a recurring humanitarian crisis, amplifying terms like “danger,” “critical explosive phase,” and “most active” to evoke the shadow of the 2018 “tragedy."
Media outlets in the center stay more procedural, emphasizing official bulletins, monitoring, and evacuee counts like 659.
Media outlets on the right push a sharper emergency narrative with phrases like “most dangerous,” “maximum alert,” and “state of emergency,” plus broader disruptions such as road and school closures.

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Media landscape

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Key points from the Left

Guatemala declared a nationwide orange danger alert following a sudden eruption of the Fuego volcano, prompting evacuations in nearby communities.
The Fuego volcano, one of Central America's most active volcanoes, began erupting Monday morning with lava, ash, and smoke increasing overnight.
Fuego volcano, located near the city of Antigua in the Sierra Madre range, erupts frequently, emitting ash and smoke about every 15 to 20 minutes during typical activity.
The eruption led to evacuations in nearby areas and an ongoing emergency response due to the volcano's activity.

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Key points from the Center

On Monday, the Fuego volcano erupted, intensifying by nightfall with lava flows and ash plumes reaching six kilometers into the air near Guatemala City, located 35 kilometers away.
Conred declared a nationwide orange alert as The Institute of Volcanology warned the volcano is "moving towards a more explosive phase." Guatemala lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire."
Officials began evacuating two villages near the volcano's slopes on Monday, while ash fell on nearby communities. Conred spokesperson Valeria Urizar advised residents to "follow the principle of self-evacuation" if conditions pose risk.
Authorities suspended local school activities and closed a road connecting the south coast to the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage site, restricting access as a precaution.
Fuego has erupted repeatedly in recent years, including a 2023 event that displaced around 1,200 people and a 2018 eruption that killed 215 people when lava flows devastated a nearby village.

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Key points from the Right

Authorities in Guatemala ordered evacuations for about 50 families near the Fuego volcano after an eruption began and intensified, affecting the villages of El Porvenir and Las Lajitas.
The eruption featured lava fountains between 200 and 300 meters high, fast-moving pyroclastic flows, leading to an orange alert by CONRED and the closure of National Route 14 highway.
The Education Ministry suspended classes in nearby towns, and officials warned that ash clouds could spread up to 100 kilometers west and northwest of the volcano.
The Fuego volcano is one of Guatemala's most active and dangerous volcanoes, with a notably devastating eruption in June 2018 that caused hundreds of deaths, destroyed a village, and affected up to 1.7 million people.

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