Watch explosive footage of Fire Volcano erupting over Guatemala

By Tim Rogers  |  February 9, 2015 | 2:07am
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Dozens of Guatemalan soldiers put down their guns and picked up push brooms today to help sweep the runways of the country’s main international airport, which was shut for nearly 24 hours after the ominously named Fire Volcano grumbled to life on Saturday and dusted the area with rock and ash.

Guatemala City’s Aurora International Airport reopened Sunday evening after canceling more than 110 flights and stranding thousands of passengers under the volcano-darkened skies. More than 100 people were evacuated from after the volcano belched fire, rock and ash some 5,500 meters into the sky on Saturday, but no one was injured and no serious damages were reported.

Fire Volcano, as its threatening name might suggest, is regularly active. It’s last major eruption was in 2012, when 33,000 Guatemalans were forced to evacuate. So in comparison, this weekend’s eruption was minor. But the event brought out the citizen journalist in many Guatemalans, who captured the eruptions on their cellphones.

https://twitter.com/peterguate/status/564166774812196864/video/1

Though the eruption wasn’t major, Fire Volcano’s isn’t the only one showing sudden signs of activity. Other volcanoes in the region have also burped in recent days, including Volcan Colima in Mexico:

…and Nicaragua’s massive San Cristobal Volcano, which started to stir this morning.

 
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