The eruption of Volcano de Fuego, Guatemala, closed the main airport for a few hours

Authorities have announced that the eruption of Volcano de Fuego (literally: “volcano of fire”) in Guatemala has closed the country’s main airport for a few hours.

Guatemala’s National Institute of Volcanology announced that Fuego, which has an altitude of 3,763 meters and is located about 35 kilometers from the capital, has been experiencing an eruptive phase since Saturday evening, accompanied by explosions, pyroclastic flows and ash forecasts.

La Aurora International Airport was in Guatemala City “Temporarily” Shut down in the middle of the morning, the general direction of civil aviation announced in a press release, due to “having ashes” near the track.

Civil Aviation Director Francis Argueta said the aircraft resumed operations three hours later, around noon local time. “We decided to resume operations due to north-south winds.” He scattered the ashes, he said in a video posted to social media.

Two diversified flights

The closure of the airport diverted at least two flights that were scheduled to land in La Aurora, one from Miami (United States) and the other from Santo Domingo, which led to a delay in the takeoff of other planes, according to aviation sources.

In addition, a highway linking the south and the center of the country was closed on Sunday due to the eruption of the volcano, which is the most active in Central America.

Impulse keeps a “glowing fountain” of lava more than 300 meters above the crater and a column of ash rising more than 2 km, according to the National Institute of Volcanology, which also warned of new avalanches of burning material.

215 deaths in 2018

Spokesman Rodolfo Garcia told AFP that the Civil Protection had not ordered a precautionary evacuation but was still vigilant.

On June 3, 2018, Fuego caused an avalanche of burning material that swept through the town of San Miguel Los Lotus and covered part of the road, killing 215 people and leaving a similar number missing.

“With what happened in 2018, the authorities are more vigilant and active”Jose Sol, a resident of Alotenango, an area east of the volcano, estimated.

Two other volcanoes are also active in Guatemala: Santiagoto (west) and Pacaya, 20 kilometers south of the capital.