Guatemala's Fuego Volcano Eruption Forces 4,000 to Evacuate

More than 4,000 people living in communities around the Fuego volcano in the Guatemalan Escuintla Department were forced to evacuate their homes late on Sunday as the volcano erupted for a second time this year, reported Aljazeera. 

"It was tremendous, we could not sleep," said Victor Hernandez, a 38-year old farmer and ranch worker from the village of El Rancho, El Rodeo, Escuintla.

"We had spent the day watching and listening to the volcano," Hernandez told Al Jazeera.

"We were horrified because of what had happened the last time. We were worried what could happen," he added, referring to a June eruption that killed nearly 200 people.

The National Coordination for Disaster Reduction of Guatemala, commonly known as CONRED, arrived along with the Guatemalan armed forces in El Rancho around 1:00am local time (7:00am GMT) to evacuate Hernandez, his wife and three children, and the other roughly 62 families from the village.

CONRED began advising residents of the pending eruption hours before the volcano, known as the Volcano of Fire, began spewing ash across the highlands of Guatemala. They had warned residents of the possibility of evacuation.

Those evacuated were taken to the football stadium and to public school buildings in the municipality of Escuintla.

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