Evacuation request ignored at Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano continues to spew columns of ash thousands of feet (meters) into the air. But residents of hamlets on the volcano’s slopes have largely ignored a recommendation to evacuate, relying instead on folk traditions and their own knowledge of the peak to judge when it’s time to go. The national disaster relief agency said eruptions continued Thursday, though there was some decrease in their intensity. Agency spokesman Davíd León said there are 21 hamlets around Pacaya that have been asked to evacuate out of precaution. But few have complied, fearing their possessions could be stolen in their absence.