Locals Urged to Evacuate Area Surrounding Agua Volcano

The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction of Guatemala (CONRED Guatemala) announced the suspension of climbing activities at Guatemala’s Agua Volcano in response to a forest fire on Wednesday, February 21.

In an update posted on Wednesday evening, the agency also urged locals to follow local authorities’ instructions to evacuate the area “due to contamination from air.”

Earlier in the day, “an overflight was carried out” to gather information and locate heat points for “decision-making in the firefighting management tasks," CONRED said.

Air and ground operations were scheduled for Thursday to control the fire.

Footage from Estuardo Mayorga shows thick smoke emanating from the volcano’s slope. Credit: Estuardo Mayorga via Storyful

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