Level: Advisory
Location: Guatemala
Category: Electricity outage, Police/security operation
Expect electricity-related disruption over the coming hours amid a fire at a power station near Zone 3 in Huehuetenango (Huehuetenango department) on 7 June. The blaze erupted at around 17.29 (local time), causing a power outage that particularly affected the western municipalities, including those in Huehuetenango and Quiche departments. Emergency and firefighting operations remain ongoing to contain the fire and the thick smoke, while residents of the affected area have been evacuated. As of latest reports, it remains unclear when the electricity will be restored. Follow official directives.
Advice
- Expect electricity-related disruption over the coming hours in affected areas.
- Monitor the Facebook page of Energuate which is the primary electricity provider for the affected areas, X pages of the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction of Guatemala, Mitigation, Preparation, Response and Recovery and the Volunteer Fire Department of Guatemala for up-to-date and relevant information on the blaze, outage and the restoration of electricity.
- Expect related disruption including to road travel and telecommunications in the affected areas during the outages due to their dependence on electricity. Allow additional time for journeys and reconfirm the status of routes before setting out.
- Ensure that your accommodation and office have access to backup power to minimise inconvenience and disruption, if in an affected area. Keep your communication devices charged and ensure you have access to backup charging options, such as power banks.
- Monitor our Guatemala alerts for updates.