The eruption continued to get stronger throughout the morning of 3 June, as explosions produced an ash plume that reached 15.2 km altitude and pyroclastic flows descended several of the ravines around the volcano.

[9] Most of the injuries and fatalities happened in the towns of San Miguel Los Lotes and El Rodeo, located south-east of Fuego's summit in the Escuintla department.

[11][12][13] San Miguel Los Lotes, located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of El Rodeo, was covered with ash and rocks from pyroclastic flows.

[24] On 8 June, new volcanic flows prompted more evacuations of rescue workers and residents of the town of El Rodeo, who had recently returned to their homes and were told to leave once again.

[27] On 18 November 2018, Volcán de Fuego entered a new eruptive and violent phase that prompted preventive evacuations of approximately 4,000 people from communities near the volcano.

[28] CONRED issued a red alert in the area that closed main roads and suspended flights at the La Aurora International Airport.

[40] In many cases urgent veterinary care was required to treat eye infections, respiratory problems, and burns caused by dust, hot ash and gas from the eruption.

[43] Former President Jimmy Morales ordered three days of national mourning in response to the disaster[4] and visited some of the affected towns and villages in person on 4 June.

[16] The Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED), Guatemala's disaster relief agency, reported that more than 1.7 million people have been affected by the eruption and its ashfall.

[45] Organizations such as GoFundMe, Cruz Roja Guatemalteca, and The National Federation of Cooperatives are being used to raise physical and monetary donations to be dispersed to those affected by the eruption.

The director of the National Institute for Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology also came under criticism for mismanagement and lack of warnings, a claim they refuted.