GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan authorities ordered the preventive evacuation of two communities near the Fuego volcano late on Monday as it entered a more intense eruptive phase, spewing ash and sending pyroclastic flows down its slopes.
The eruption sent pyroclastic flows — fast-moving mixtures of volcanic gas, ash and rock — down five ravines, disaster management officials said.
• The evacuations were ordered in the areas of El Porvenir and Las Lajitas, both in the municipality of San Juan Alotenango.
• Officials on Tuesday warned the flows could travel further if activity intensifies.
• Ash cloud dispersal could affect areas up to 100 km (62 miles) west and northwest of the volcano.
• Authorities on Tuesday declared an "orange alert" and stepped up monitoring of the volcano.
• A major eruption in 2018 of the Fuego volcano, about 30 km (19 miles) south of Guatemala City, buried an entire community and killed more than 200 people.
Posted by: Alma Angeles/NET25 News
