Video showed hikers running from falling debris on one of Central America’s most active volcanoes.
GUATEMALA CITY — Tourists climbing Guatemala’s Fuego Volcano fled down the slope after an eruption sent glowing debris and ash into the air, according to video published June 23 and accounts from hikers who described a sudden scramble for safety.
The episode drew fresh attention to the risks around Fuego, a steep volcano near Antigua that is known for frequent explosive activity. Officials had not announced a full casualty report tied to the video by Thursday, and key details remained unclear, including how many people were on the route and whether any guide service was involved.
The footage showed hikers moving quickly down dark volcanic ground as red-hot rocks landed nearby. Some people shouted while others bent low or ran to avoid falling material. One person was seen carrying a dog away from the area. Hiker Hana García said she had been filming when she looked up and saw rocks coming down. “At that moment I was kind of in shock, and then I started running,” García said. She said one piece burned through her coat and nearly hit her head.
Fuego rises in southern Guatemala near the departments of Sacatepéquez, Escuintla and Chimaltenango. Its eruptions can produce ash columns, incandescent avalanches and sudden bursts of rocks and gas. The volcano is also close to Acatenango, a popular hiking destination where visitors often camp for views of Fuego’s activity. That mix of tourism and volcanic danger has long put local officials, guides and visitors in a hard position.
Guatemala’s disaster agency, CONRED, has previously said Fuego’s activity can send pyroclastic flows down ravines including Seca, Ceniza and Las Lajas. In a June 2025 advisory, the agency said local authorities and the Guatemalan tourism institute had restricted tourist access to Acatenango because of risks tied to Fuego’s activity. The advisory also listed nearby communities where officials were checking conditions, including Morelia, Santa Sofía, El Porvenir and Panimaché I and II.
The Smithsonian Institution and U.S. Geological Survey’s Global Volcanism Program has described Fuego as one of Central America’s most active volcanoes. Earlier this year, it reported repeated Strombolian explosions, gas-and-ash plumes, rumbling, shock waves and incandescent material thrown above the summit. Ashfall was reported in several nearby places, including La Reunión, El Rodeo, El Porvenir de Alotenango, Panimaché and Yepocapa.
The latest video did not show a large evacuation from nearby towns, and officials had not confirmed damage to homes or roads in connection with the hikers’ escape. The main impact appeared to be on the group caught on the volcano during the burst. The available reports also did not say whether the hikers were inside a restricted zone or on a sanctioned route at the time of the eruption.
Fuego has a deadly history. Its June 3, 2018, eruption produced pyroclastic flows that buried communities and killed more than 100 people. That disaster remains a central reference point for officials who monitor the volcano and for families living in nearby villages. Fuego’s normal low-level activity can still change fast, especially during rainy periods, when loose ash and volcanic material can move down ravines as lahars.
For now, the public record centers on the video, the hikers’ accounts and standing official warnings about the volcano’s behavior. Monitoring agencies in Guatemala continue to track Fuego’s activity through visual and instrument reports, while local authorities decide when to limit access to nearby slopes and trails.
Author note: Last updated June 25, 2026.