EL PATROCINIO, Guatemala (AP) – Residents of small communities living in the Pacaya volcano in Guatemala are waking up every day wondering if the lava will reach their homes.
A lava flow descending the volcano has progressed between El Patrocinio and San José el Rodeo. In the case of the latter, the lava advanced to within two and a half blocks of the outer houses.
Emma Quezada, a 38-year-old homemaker in one of the houses, has lived there all her life, saying she is used to the volcanic activity. Still, she’s scared.
“The last three days the lava has stopped; we hope it stays there, ”said Quezada.
Local authorities have talked to residents about moving the community to another location about 100 kilometers away, but without the space they now have, she said.
“As if you were going from here to a small piece of land!” she said. ‘Maybe we do not have a wonderful thing here, but we live in blessed peace, and we face no other danger, not even thieves … The options you give do not compare to what we have here not.’
The volcano Pacaya rises about 2552 meters between the departments of Guatemala and Escuintla south of the capital. It is a popular tourist destination and 21 communities surround it.
In early February, a ravine formed in one of the volcano’s flanks and lava began to flow, which now stretches for at least five kilometers. Meanwhile, ash and gases spewed from its crater.
Even though the lava did not reach their homes, the ash damaged their wheat crops and pastures where their cows grazed.
El Rodeo is home to 57 families, of which 350 are people, said Juventino Pineda, president of the Community Council for Urban and Rural Development.
Pineda (67) can remember various eruptions during his lifetime. “One of the worst was 1962, I was a kid and lava also came out of the crack in the volcano, it was 20km of lava,” he said.
This time, Pineda says ‘we believe that at least 50% of the houses in the community will be destroyed as a result of the lava’s path.’ There is an evacuation plan if the situation worsens.
“At night, when the volcano erupts, everything turns red, everything shines, it looks like day,” Pineda said.
Closer to the lava you feel the ambient temperature rise. There is a slight smell of sulfur and you can hear a creak.
“It’s important to know that we need help, maybe someone can help us internationally,” Pineda said.