Guatemala's famed Fuego volcano erupts
- 12 years ago
Guatemala's Fuego volcano belches burning lava and black ash into the night sky.
Mount Fuego - or fire in Spanish - erupted at about 2:45 am Saturday, sending a column of ash up to 16,000 feet above the crater just south of the capital.
The mountain also sent lava over a thousand feet skyward.
The government has issued an airplane advisory and has closed sections of nearby highway.
One local resident says the eruption is the worst he's seen in years.
(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL, SANTIAGO MIS, SAYING:
"Now it is very strong, it hasn't erupted in six or seven years where it spewed some lava but not a lot like today."
Guatemala's four active volcanoes have a history of causing shut downs.
In 2010, an explosion at another volcano about 25 miles south of Guatemala City coated the capital in a thick layer of black ash and rock, forcing hundreds of families to evacuate and closing the international airport.
Travis Brecher, Reuters
Mount Fuego - or fire in Spanish - erupted at about 2:45 am Saturday, sending a column of ash up to 16,000 feet above the crater just south of the capital.
The mountain also sent lava over a thousand feet skyward.
The government has issued an airplane advisory and has closed sections of nearby highway.
One local resident says the eruption is the worst he's seen in years.
(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL, SANTIAGO MIS, SAYING:
"Now it is very strong, it hasn't erupted in six or seven years where it spewed some lava but not a lot like today."
Guatemala's four active volcanoes have a history of causing shut downs.
In 2010, an explosion at another volcano about 25 miles south of Guatemala City coated the capital in a thick layer of black ash and rock, forcing hundreds of families to evacuate and closing the international airport.
Travis Brecher, Reuters