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GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala began evacuating some residents from the slopes the Volcano of Fire Thursday after a new eruption spewed hot gas and ash high into the sky.
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Juan Laureano, spokesperson for the National Disaster Reduction Co-ordinator, said that at least 594 people were moved to shelters from five communities in the Chimaltenango, Escuintla and Sacatepequez departments.
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Laureano said that given the volcano’s activity, the number of evacuees was expected to rise.
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Wilver Guerra, a 28-year-old resident of El Porvenir, moved to a shelter in Chimaltenango.
“At first, everything was normal, only fire in the morning when the volcano’s activity increased a bit, but it’s OK, better to evacuate in time,” he said.
Authorities also closed a highway in the area and suspended classes at 39 schools.
The 3,763-m volcano is one of the most active in Central America. It is 53 km from Guatemala’s capital.
A 2018 eruption killed 194 people and left another 234 missing.
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