Hundreds flee homes after Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupts

SAN JUAN ALOTENANGO:

Hundreds of people living on the slopes of Guatemala's Fuego volcano evacuated their homes Tuesday after a huge eruption spewed lava and plumes of ash.

Emergency services issued a red alert, the most severe warning, after Central America's most active volcano erupted Monday morning, with conditions intensifying by nightfall.

Rivers of lava streamed down the 3,763-meter (12,346-foot) volcano located less than 100 kilometers from Guatemala City, while ash rose some six kilometers into the red sky.

"Since early morning it was active. That night, the alarm was raised that we needed to evacuate," local resident Alejandro Garcia, 68, told AFP.

Villagers left of their own accord out of fear, Garcia said, describing terrifying scenes of lava oozing down the mountainside.

Firefighters said they transported at least 500 residents of the El Porvenir and Las Lajitas villages to the eastward San Juan Alotenango municipality. Evacuees are staying in a community hall where makeshift beds have been set up, while the number of people taken to other nearby towns remains unknown.