Just 6 miles from Antigua Guatemala, wildfires rage on the slopes of Volcano Agua. It was yesterday afternoon (22nd of February) that friends started posting photos of brownish clouds swirling over the volcano; it seemed strange as it was a beautiful blue sky day. Later, it was confirmed that a huge wildfire had taken hold of the southern slopes. As Antigua faces the south side, we only noticed the clouds of what we later learnt was smoke.
You may not know this, but the sister of Volcano Agua (water) here in Antigua Guatemala is Volcano Fuego (fire). Last night we not only saw the nightly spectacle of volcanic lava flowing down the slopes of Fuego but also witnessed the firey destruction on Agua.
This morning I was woken up by the Acopolyse Now flop-flop sound of helicopters flying low over my house. Later, when I was driving my son to school, I saw helicopters with huge Bambi buckets taking off from a makeshift heliport. Convoys of firefighters were heading in the opposite direction towards the fires.
As the day has progressed, more news is coming out about the state of the wildfires. They have spread to the southern side, but so far the fires have only destroyed agricultural land on the higher slopes and thankfully, no casualties have been reported. The closest town is Santa Maria de Jesus, but it seems very likely that the fires will be put out long before it would be affected. The authorities believe it will take up to five days to fully extinguish these wildfires that rage on Volcano Agua. Apparently, here in Guatemala, 90% of wildfires are caused by arson.
So, as I write it’s now Saturday afternoon. The breaking news is that 60% of the fires are now under control. Helicopters with their Bambi buckets are still flying. 144 flights have now been flown and have released 32,000 gallons of water over the fires.
Photos: Nicole Gould Kristmann y Rick Olson
