Foreign Office issues urgent volcanic eruption warning to all Brits after Guatemala incident

Brits have been issued with an urgent travel warning due to the ongoing eruption of the Fuego volcano. The major incident in Guatemala has triggered evacuations in nearby villages on its slopes with smoke and ash billowing over the area, with tourists told 'prepare to leave'.

Fuego, which is one of the most active volcanoes in the Western Hemisphere, first started gushing out lava and ash on Monday (3 August), with disaster management agency CONRED now issuing a nationwide orange alert.

Locals have been warned to prepare with eruptions likely to cause huge clouds of ash and pyroclastic flows, which are rivers of gas, ash and rocks. CONRED has urged residents and visitors to keep their windows and doors closed.

Visitors have also been asked to refrain from approaching or staying in areas that are considered 'at risk' which includes villages on the slopes. Dramatic press photos show ash and lava spewing from the top of the volcano.

"Given the increased activity of the Fuego volcano, the Executive Secretariat of CONRED calls on the population living in communities near the volcanic complex to apply the principle of self-evacuation when conditions warrant it or when the authorities issue the corresponding recommendations," the authority said in a statement.

"Self-evacuation involves moving immediately to a safe place upon identifying a threat that endangers people's safety, without waiting for the situation to worsen. This action should be carried out calmly, following established evacuation routes, heeding the instructions of local authorities, and prioritising the protection of life."

Foreign Office warning

The UK Foreign Office has now also issued an alert to all travellers from Britain due to the incident. This is also due to the volcano's proximity to world heritage site Antigua Guatemala, a city popular with tourists that sits just ten miles away.

The update, which outlined that Brits would need to be 'prepared to leave' immediately also signposted tourists to the CONRED disaster agency. It said it 'continues its ongoing monitoring of the Fuego volcano and maintains coordination with territorial authorities and public and private institutions'.

"The public is reminded that protecting life is the priority, and therefore, applying the principle of self-evacuation promptly can make all the difference in the event of an adverse event," a public update on Tuesday said (3 August).

In an update, the Foreign Office said: "Fuego volcano is experiencing increased volcanic activity, including ash emissions and pyroclastic flows. Further escalation remains possible and authorities have begun precautionary evacuations in some communities.

"Access to the Astillero Municipal Regional Park, which contains the Acatenango Volcano viewpoint, has also been closed due to Fuego’s volcanic activity. If you are in an affected area, monitor official updates, follow the advice of local authorities, and be prepared to leave the area if advised to do so."

Evacuations ordered for parts of country over deadly volcano

Authorities in Guatemala have ordered evacuations in some southern communities around the Fuego volcano. Claudinne Ogaldes, executive secretary of the Guatemalan disaster managing agency CONRED, confirmed that the eruption started on Monday morning and increased during the day, which led to evacuation orders for two villages around the mountain.

Live images of the situation showed big clouds of gas and ash over the volcano as lava and pyroclastic flows rolled down the slopes at great speed. It has been warned that if hot volcanic debris flows down the slopes, western and southern communities will be at greatest risk.

“The eruption increases its explosiveness level. A fountain of lava of between 200 and 300 metres (650ft to 1,000ft) has developed over the crater,” a report from the Guatemalan Seismology, Vulcanology, Weather and Water Institute said. Meanwhile CONRED said in a press statement that authorities were evacuating El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas as a preventive measure. That would be around 50 families or 250 people.

A major road that passes close to the volcano, National Route 14, was closed as the Education Ministry suspended classes in nearby towns.

More than 200 people were killed and a whole village was destroyed during a previous eruption on the Fuego volcano in June 2018. Many people were caught up in the fast-flowing pyroclastic flows which raced down the Las Lajas ravine. That episode affected up to 1.7 million people, according to authorities.

And, another eruption on 5 June last year spurred preventive evacuations. By midday the following day, authorities had declared the eruption over after about 30 hours of activity.