GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) — Guatemalan authorities issued the country’s second-highest emergency alert Monday after Fuego volcano erupted, sending lava down its slopes, spewing ash 6 kilometers (4 miles) into the air and forcing evacuations from nearby villages.

The eruption began Monday morning and intensified by nightfall, prompting officials to evacuate two villages near the 3,763-meter (12,346-foot) volcano, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Guatemala City.

“An orange (danger) alert has been declared nationwide due to the eruption of the Fuego volcano,” disaster coordination agency Conred said on X.

The alert is one level below the highest, red alert.

“If an evacuation is ordered or conditions pose a risk to your life, follow the principle of self-evacuation,” Conred spokesperson Valeria Urizar said in a video posted on social media.

The Institute of Volcanology warned the volcano was “moving towards a more explosive phase” and said hot volcanic debris flows threatened communities on Fuego’s western and southern slopes.

Authorities suspended in-person classes in two nearby municipalities and closed a highway linking Guatemala’s southern coast with the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ash also fell on nearby communities.

Guatemala, located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences frequent volcanic activity. More than 500 people were evacuated during a Fuego eruption last year, while another eruption in 2023 displaced about 1,200 residents. In 2018, the volcano killed 215 people and left a similar number missing after lava flows engulfed a nearby village.