‘Run, run!’: Tourists scramble to safety as Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego volcano erupts

3 min readNew DelhiJun 23, 2026 10:10 AM IST

Located about 43 km southwest of Guatemala City, Volcán de Fuego is considered Guatemala’s most active volcano (Photo: @Breaking911/X)

Several tourists scrambled for safety after the Volcán de Fuego volcano in Guatemala violently erupted, pelting them with burning rocks and sending towering plumes of smoke into the sky.

The viral video captures the dramatic moment as hikers ran down volcanic trails while debris continued to fall around them. In one video, a tourist can be heard shouting, “Oh my God, holy s***t. Run, run!”

One tourist was seen grabbing a dog and carrying it to safety while others attempted to shield themselves from the falling debris, the New York Post reported. Glowing rocks scattered across the ground as ash and smoke spread through the area, the report added.

In another video, a hiker poured bottled water over a red-hot piece of debris that had landed nearby.

Among those caught in the eruption was hiker Hana García, who said a burning rock melted through part of her coat and narrowly missed striking her head, the New York Post report added.

“The volcano erupted and I managed to film a little bit of it, but I didn’t record much because, while I was filming, I looked up and started seeing rocks falling,” García told local media, the publication reported.

“At that moment, I was kind of in shock, and then I started running,” Gracía added.

Watch the video here:

Terrified hikers rushed for cover as an erupting volcano sent lava rocks raining down around them. pic.twitter.com/PYAADqoW8a

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 23, 2026

The video has since gone viral, prompting a wave of reactions.

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“Exactly where are you going to run to? When nature lets go you had better be miles and miles away and even then danger lurks. Small eruption and they got lucky, thankfully,” a user wrote.

“You sort of deserve what you get if you are going to get that close to an active volcano,” another user commented.

“One moment you’re enjoying the view, the next you’re starring in a disaster movie. Nature is humbling,” a third user reacted.

Volcán de Fuego

Located about 43 km southwest of Guatemala City, Volcán de Fuego is considered Guatemala’s most active volcano. According to researchers at Oregon State University, the volcano frequently produces low-level eruptions every 15 to 20 minutes, releasing ash and gas into the atmosphere.

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The volcano has erupted more than 60 times since the Spanish conquest of Guatemala in 1524. While many eruptions have been relatively minor, several have proven deadly.

One of the most devastating eruptions occurred in 2018 when a massive blast triggered fast-moving pyroclastic flows that buried nearby communities and killed more than 100 people. Ash clouds from that eruption rose approximately 33,000 feet into the atmosphere and were visible from space, the report added.