Watch: Guatemala on high alert as Fuego volcano erupts near capital

Guatemalan authorities declared a nationwide orange alert on Monday evening as Central America's most active volcano erupted, generating pyroclastic flows and prompting the evacuation of nearby villages. Fuego erupted on Monday morning and intensified by nightfall, with lava flows and plumes of ash rising approximately six kilometres into the air, according to disaster coordination agency Conred. "An orange (danger) alert has been declared nationwide due to the eruption of the Fuego volcano," Conred said on X. The alert level is one below the highest red warning, which indicates the most serious emergency. Officials began evacuating two villages near the volcano, which sits about 35 kilometres from Guatemala City. Footage released by emergency services showed the eruption turning clouds red and lava flowing down the slopes of the 3,763-metre-high volcano. "If an evacuation is ordered or conditions pose a risk to your life, follow the principle of self-evacuation," Conred spokesperson Valeria Urizar said in a video posted on social media. The country's Institute of Volcanology warned that the volcano was "moving towards a more explosive phase," with communities on the western and southern flanks at the greatest risk from hot volcanic debris flows. Authorities closed national highway RN-14, which provides access to Alotenango, due to volcanic material descending through the Las Lajas ravine. The education ministry suspended in-person classes in communities within two municipalities near the volcano as a precaution. Conred urged residents to avoid ravines and danger zones, prepare emergency "72-hour backpacks," and activate family response plans. Traffic police also closed a road encircling the mountain range that connects the south coast with the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the country's main tourist destination. Guatemala lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Mass evacuations have occurred repeatedly in recent years due to Fuego's active eruptions. In 2023, authorities evacuated around 1,200 people after Fuego spewed gas and ash. A devastating 2018 eruption killed 215 people and left a similar number missing when lava flows swept down the volcano's slopes, destroying a nearby village.