The volcano de Fire, one of the three assets in Guatemala, initiated a strong eruptive phase with explosions, ash expulsion and avalanches of incandescent material, although without causing evacuations at the moment, the authorities announced.
“The activity that is being recorded at this time corresponds to the beginning of a rash of a stonbolian nature [mixture of explosions and lava flows] or mostly effusive,” Emilio Barillas, spokesman for the state Institute of Volcanology (Insivumeh).
The eruption caused the decline of ardent volcanic material (pyroclastic flow), the main six kilometers long by a ravine of the southwest flank that reached the base of the volcano, the official added.
The Volcano de Fire, 3,763 meters high and located 35 km southwest of Guatemala City, is erected among the provinces of Escuintla, Sacatepéquez and Chimaltenango and is one of the three colossible assets in Guatemala with Pacaya (South) and Santiaguito
(West).
Barillas explained that the new eruptive phase is the strongest registered since June 3, 2018, when a powerful eruption provoked an avalanche that devastated the San Miguel community the lots and part of a road in the neighboring town of Alotenango, leaving 215 dead
and a similar figure of missing.
“Eruptive activity maintains the same level [strong],” added Barillas, after almost twelve hours since the massif entered eruption.
The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), an entity in charge of civil protection, noted that they have reported ash rain in the Panimacha I and II, Morelia, El Porvenir, Santa Sophia and Blood of Christ of the Municipality of San
Pedro Yepocapa, Chimaltenango, as well as in the urban area of the town settled on the western skirts of the volcano.
“At the moment, no evacuation processes have been implemented, however, the territorial authorities maintain the actions [surveillance] in the surveillance areas,” said David de León, spokesman La Conred.
The mayor of the city of Escuintla, Abraham Rivera, requested the neighbors of the areas near the volcano to avoid approaching the natural ravines where the pyroclastic flows descend and alerted the risk that the rains comply with the situation before the possibility of the decline of
Lahares (mud) that could leave several villages incommunicado.
On September 11, the National Institute of Forensic Sciences of Guatemala (INACIF) gave his relatives the remains of 14 people who died buried during the eruption of fire in 2018.
The INACIF has an pending identifying 137 fragments of human bones recovered in that tragedy, but the authorities pointed out that the process is difficult because the heat destroyed vital genetic material.
