Thousands Evacuated After Guatemala's Volcán de Fuego Erupts
Your Daily Update for August 5, 2026. Plus: At least 1,700 people have been evacuated after the eruption of Guatemala's highly active Volcán de Fuego.
Welcome to today’s daily update for Wednesday, August 5, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Breakdown
Guatemala’s Fuego volcano has erupted once again, posing a serious threat to citizens living around it.
Located along southern Guatemala’s Sierra Madre de Chiapas range, Volcán de Fuego is a staggering, 12,346-foot-tall monolith that towers above the colonial town of Antigua. The stratovolcano is one of Central America’s most active volcanoes and experiences small eruptions almost daily.
However, periodically, the volcano goes through massive eruptions – with the most recent taking place in 2018. In June of that year, Volcán de Fuego erupted in one of the nation’s deadliest volcanic disasters. The explosion sent ash flying 50,000 feet into the atmosphere, along with fast-moving lava flows. The killer, though, was the pyroclastic flows, which raced down ravines and valleys at speeds up to 100 miles per hour and wiped out entire villages. 194 people were confirmed dead, and more than 234 others were presumed dead after going missing during the eruption.
Sparked by the most violent volcanic eruptions, pyroclastic flows are superheated avalanches of gas, ash, and rock that can reach temperatures of up to 1,800°F (1,000°C) and speeds as fast as 430 miles per hour, in the most extreme cases. The violent shaking and series of explosions that take place during an eruption trigger these devastating flows – some notable examples include the pyroclastic flows at Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991 and Mount St. Helens in the United States in 1980.
Now, Volcán de Fuego has erupted again, sending plumes of ash almost four miles into the atmosphere. Sacatepéquez, Escuintla and Chimaltenango, the three departments that share jurisdiction over the volcano, have raised their alert levels to red, and more than 1,700 people living in the areas around it have been evacuated.
Evacuees have been forced to reside in community halls and shelters – many have no choice but to live in the homes they have, putting them in constant danger of eruptions. Over half of Guatemala’s population lives below the national poverty line due to increasing inflation and unaffordability, forcing the poorest individuals to live in badly constructed homes along highly dangerous volcanic slopes.
According to AP, at least 29,000 people are in the path of falling ash, forcing schools and businesses to shut down. No structures have been destroyed, but mudflows stretching more than four miles are threatening to change that. Incoming rain is also expected to strengthen the rivers of mud, and further pyroclastic flows could further endanger local infrastructure.
Thankfully, the eruption is beginning to cool off after more than two days of constant lava flows and ash plumes, possibly allowing individuals to return within the next few days. Nevertheless, there is always the threat of an additional explosion, meaning that officials will be on the lookout for further eruption signs.
The Global Snapshot
Israel has butted heads with the United States over their latest disarmament deal to handle Hamas, according to new statements. Last week, Hamas announced that they would comply with the US-brokered disarmament deal that would bring eventual peace to Gaza, despite doubts that the implementation would be completed. However, Israel announced yesterday that they have “serious security concerns” regarding the deal – they highlighted the possibility that Hamas would use the disarmament as a ruse to rebuild operations and infrastructure ahead of another terrorist attack. The statement comes after a violent weekend in Gaza, where Israel killed at least 26 Palestinians in their latest round of strikes, despite the ongoing ceasefire.
Blasts were heard across the French town of Le Porge after hundreds of World War II-era shells exploded due to extreme heat and ongoing wildfires in the region. After France’s devastating Gironde wildfire was finally brought under control, residents of Le Porge were allowed to return home – only to find shells littered across the ground, exposed by the blaze. Bomb disposal units were quickly brought in to manage the situation, and they were able to recover more than 400 munitions, but several exploded during the operation due to the extreme heat. Despite the fact that World War II took place more than 80 years ago, many old mines remain scattered and intact across a large portion of Europe, and they continue to pose a threat to the public.
Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): At one point, 50% of the CDs produced worldwide had an AOL logo on them. The cost for the marketing campaign was in the billions – and it worked.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Find gratitude in the little things and your well of gratitude will never run dry. (Antonia Montoya)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Élan (noun, ay-LAHN) - Élan refers to energy and enthusiasm.
In a Sentence: The dancers performed with great style and élan; we were exhausted just watching them.
Image: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
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