See photos of Volcano of Fire in Guatemala eruption

A massive volcano in Guatemala is erupting and authorities have evacuated nearly 300 families while warning another 30,000 people in the area they could be at risk.

The eruption at Volcano of Fire started overnight, spewing a dark cloud of ash far into the sky Monday, leading authorities to close schools in the vicinity and a key road connecting communities. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Guatemala’s Conred disaster center said the volcano, named Fuego – Spanish for “fire” – was sending “pyroclastic flows,” a high-temperature mix of gas, ash and rock fragments, “through the ravines of the volcanic complex.”

The flow of volcanic material is weak to moderate but expected to increase, officials said.

Claudinne Ugalde, secretary of the disaster agency, said “some 30,000 people more or less are at risk in these three (jurisdictions) and we are trying to have them evacuate or self-evacuate,” she said.

The biggest danger from the volcano are lahars, a mixture of ash, rock, mud and debris, that can bury entire towns.

Isaac García, 43, a resident of El Porvenir on the slopes of the volcano, had that tragedy in mind when he and his family decided to heed authorities’ warnings to evacuate early Monday.

“We were a little worried because a few years ago the volcano became active,” García said, referencing the 2018 eruption, as he spoke with a mask to protect against the falling ash. He came to a shelter opened in San Juan Alotenango with his mother, wife and their three children, as well as other relatives.

The 12,300-foot-high volcano, located about 33 miles southwest of Guatemala City, is one of the most active in Central America. It usually erupts every four to five years, but it last erupted in June 2023. More than 1,000 people were evacuated during that eruption.

A 2018 eruption killed 194 people and left another 234 missing.

Guatemala has two other active volcanoes — Santiaguito in the west of the country and Pacaya in the south.