Guatemala remained on high alert Tuesday after evacuating hundreds of people following an eruption of the Fuego volcano, one of Central America's most active.

The disaster management agency CONRED said 659 people were evacuated from eight villages and moved to nearby shelters, with about 10 more communities expected to be evacuated.

Authorities raised the alert level to red. Footage showed a lava fountain nearly 500 meters high and pyroclastic flows in multiple ravines, officials said.

A major highway near the volcano was closed and classes suspended in nearby towns. A 2018 eruption of Fuego killed hundreds and destroyed a village, affecting up to 1.7 million people.