Fuego volcano in Guatemala shows reduced eruption strength, alerts remain

Guatemala's Fuego volcano, one of the country's three active peaks, has significantly decreased its eruption intensity over the last 24 hours. However, civil protection agencies are maintaining precautionary alerts for surrounding departments due to the potential risks posed by accumulated volcanic material.

Earlier this week, Fuego, located in central Guatemala, produced powerful explosions that generated ash columns reaching up to 6,000 meters. These eruptions prompted the preventive evacuation of over 1,600 people from the departments of Chimaltenango, Escuintla, and Sacatepéquez, with more than 29,000 residents affected by ashfall. The volcano is one of three active in Guatemala, alongside Santiaguito and Pacaya.

According to the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology, and Hydrology (Insivumeh), Fuego is now experiencing five to ten explosions per hour, with ash columns rising to 4,500 meters. In contrast, Santiaguito registers one to four explosions per hour with rockfalls, while Pacaya shows only degassing activity.

Despite the reduced activity, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) has kept an orange alert in Sacatepéquez and yellow alerts in Escuintla and Chimaltenango. This measure ensures that emergency response teams and local authorities remain deployed and prepared for potential emergencies. Conred warned that "threats associated with accumulated volcanic material remain active, including the descent of lahars, ash dispersion, among others, due to the volcano's normal activity."

The Fuego volcano, standing at 3,763 meters, is tragically remembered for its June 3, 2018 eruption, which resulted in 202 deaths and at least 229 disappearances.

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Threats associated with accumulated volcanic material remain active, including the descent of lahars, ash dispersion, among others, due to the volcano's normal activity.