Govind Tekale
Guatemala’s Fuego volcano, one of Central America’s most active volcanoes, shot ash nearly 5 kilometers (15,750 feet) into the air during a powerful eruption that began on June 4, 2025. After 30 hours of intense activity, officials declared the eruption over on June 6.
More than 700 people evacuated from communities in the Escuintla, Sacatepequez, and Chimaltenango regions as a safety measure. Local families spent the night on green camping cots in nearby shelters while authorities monitored the situation.
“Sometimes when we grow up we can be stubborn and we don’t want to leave because of material things like our houses, but protecting our children’s lives is more important,” Olga Lopez, who was evacuated from El Porvenir, told Reuters.
Another resident, Celsa Perez, 25, expressed similar feelings: “We prefer to leave rather than mourn the death of everyone in the village later.”
The volcano, located about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala, displayed several dangerous behaviors during the eruption. Guatemala’s National Institute for Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (INSIVUMEH) reported lava flows extending up to 1.2 kilometers from the crater. Fast-moving currents of hot gas and volcanic debris, known as pyroclastic flows, descended through several ravines including Las Lajas, Ceniza, and Seca, traveling up to 7 kilometers from the crater.
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As a precaution, authorities closed National Route 14, a key highway connecting Escuintla with Sacatepéquez and Chimaltenango. School activities in 39 affected communities were also suspended.
By midday on June 6, INSIVUMEH said camera footage no longer showed spurting lava or ground pulsations, and there were no longer large amounts of ash in the atmosphere.
The Fuego volcano, whose name means “Fire Volcano” in Spanish, stands nearly 3,800 meters (12,500 feet) high and sits roughly 35 kilometers (22 miles) southwest of Guatemala City. It has a long history of eruptions, with records dating back to 1531.
In recent years, evacuations due to Fuego’s activity have become somewhat routine for nearby communities. A similar evacuation occurred in March 2025. However, the volcano’s most devastating eruption in recent history happened in June 2018, when more than 200 people died after rivers of lava poured down the volcano’s slopes, destroying a village.
Guatemala, roughly the size of the U.S. state of Tennessee, is home to 37 volcanoes, though many are considered dormant or extinct. Fuego remains one of the most active and closely monitored due to its frequent eruptions and proximity to populated areas.
