Thousands of residents flee erupting lava from Guatemala’s ‘Volcano of Fire’

NEARLY 4,000 residents have fled the surrounding areas of the ‘Volcano of Fire’ as it spews hot lava and ash as high as 1km into the sky.

Thousands of residents have fled Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire, as red-hot rock and ash spewed into the sky and cascaded down the slopes toward an area devastated by a deadly eruption earlier this year.

Guatemala’s volcanology unit said that explosions from the 3,763m high mountain shook homes with “constant sounds similar to a train locomotive”.

Incandescent material burst as high as 1km above the crater and flows of hot rock and ash extended nearly 3km down one flank of the volcano.

Hundreds of families have evacuated from the area around the Fuego volcano. Picture: Johan Ordonez/AFP

A general view shows Fuego volcano erupting as seen from Alotenango, a municipality in Sacatepequez department, 65km southwest of Guatemala City on November 19, 2018. Picture: Johan Ordonez/AFP

A view of the Fuego volcano eruption at sunrise, seen from El Rodeo, Escuintla, Guatemala, 19 November 2018. Picture: Esteban Biba/EPA

Authorities have warned residents to evacuate. Picture: AP Photo/Moises Castillo

The volcano is spewing dangerous flows of fast-moving clouds of hot ash, lava and gas. Picture: Johan Ordonez/AFP

Hot blasts of pyroclastic material pushed down canyons on the slopes, while a column of ash rose nearly 7,000m above sea level and drifted toward Guatemala City to the east.

Hundreds of families heeded the call of disaster co-ordination authorities to evacuate 10 communities, piling into yellow school buses for trips to shelters.

The national disaster commission said 3,925 people had been evacuated by early Monday.

The Volcano of Fire is one of the most active in Central America and an eruption in June killed 194 people. A further 234 are officially missing, although organisations supporting the communities have insisted there are thousands of missing persons.

The volcano has erupted for fifth time this year, according to Guatemalan Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology Institute. Picture: Esteban Biba/EPA

The Volcan de Fuego, or Volcano of Fire, spews hot molten lava and ash from its crater in Escuintla, Guatemala. Picture: AP Photo/Moises Castillo

This is the fifth eruption so far this year. Picture: AP Photo/Moises Castillo

In June, explosive flows from Fuego killed more than 190 people. Picture: AP Photo/Moises Castillo

It spewed more ash and hot rock in October, prompting warnings for the nearby communities.

The biggest danger from the volcano are lahars, a mixture of ash, rock, mud and debris, that can bury entire towns. However, by Monday, there had been no reports of such flows reaching populated areas, though authorities were taking no chances; they were harshly criticised for not calling for evacuations earlier in June.

Four shelters have been set up for evacuees. Dora Caal, 26, and five members of her family took refuge under a nylon tent at a sports stadium in the nearby town of Escuintla.

Residents of several communities nearby the erupting Fuego volcano, arrive at a temporary shelter. Picture: Johan Ordonez/AFP

Residents prepare to evacuate their homes Picture: AP Photo/Moises Castillo

“Last night we heard the volcano roar, you could see fire, we couldn’t sleep,” said Caal, whose town of El Rodeo was largely evacuated.

“At dawn we said we’d better get out, we were afraid,” Caal said as the sun beat down fiercely at the improvised shelter. People like Caal are still reeling from the effects of the June eruption.

“Back then I lost my job at a farm that was on the slopes of the volcano. They closed it and we can’t work there anymore,” she said.

Enma Hernandez, 42, left her home in El Rodeo to evacuate, but her 20-year-old son stayed behind to protect the family home from looters.