Two women are evacuated in Alotenango, southwest of Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Tuesday. The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction reported that at least two villages on the slopes of the Fuego volcano, El Porvenir and Las Lajitas, were evacuated. Photo by Alex Cruz/EPA
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Guatemala raised a nationwide orange alert and ordered the immediate evacuation of nearby communities after Volcán de Fuego entered a new eruptive phase, authorities said.
Volcanic activity began Monday and intensified significantly overnight, according to Guatemala's National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology, known as INSIVUMEH.
The rapid escalation prompted emergency officials to activate their highest level of preparedness in the departments of Escuintla, Sacatepéquez and Chimaltenango, according to local newspaper Prensa Libre.
More than 350 people from about 85 families were evacuated to emergency shelters after the eruption entered a more explosive phase Tuesday, generating pyroclastic flows and heavy ash emissions, while authorities maintained road closures and continuous monitoring, according to Canal Antigua.
