Though nature often offers glimpses of its mesmerizing beauty, sometimes it likes to be a little extra. In April 2023, Guatemala witnessed a stunning event when a thunderstorm coincided with the eruption of Volcán de Fuego near Antigua. The breathtaking footage has since gone viral on social media.
As thunder growled in the sky, the volcano’s mouth spewed glowing lava, branching into streaks of electric light that lit up the brownish-pink sky. The entire scene grabbed the attention of nearby people who were quick to start recording the event.
Representative Image Source: Volcano San Pedro and San Pedro la Laguna are seen under the light of sunrise at the shores of Lake Atitlan in the Solola department, Guatemala, Central America. (Photo by Victor Fraile/S3studio/Getty Images)
One person present at the scene was photographer Johan Wolterink (@johanwolterink). "What are the odds," he captioned the popular Instagram reel that amassed 728,000 views and over 28,000 likes. The video was also shared countless times on social media.
Another perspective was shared by @maiduspace and garnered more than 93 million views and nearly 6 million likes. "I have never seen such a scene," she wrote in the caption, describing the video.
Curious about nature’s dazzling phenomenon, people spun imaginary scenarios relating to this event. For instance, writing on a tweet where this footage was reposted, @berickson_bio said, “Imagine the Maya people witnessing something like that (and they may have). Hello volcano gods.” @boijuanda quipped, “God told the Angels, ‘Check this out, I'm about to give them a lil razzle dazzle.’” Some were just awestruck by the breathtaking sight. "That's equally amazing and apocalyptically terrifying," commented @NebularNerd and @ForesterGe66289 added, "Wow! Brilliant images."
This event was special because it was a mix of volcanic eruption and lightning, hence dubbed “volcanic lighting.” According to the National Geographic Society, volcanic lighting is not formed deep in the Earth. It only forms in a volcanic plume. Only those volcanoes that have a thick crust can exhibit this phenomenon.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Diego Giron
Usually, volcanic lighting occurs when volcanoes eject gushes of gases, lava, rocks, and ash as they erupt into the atmosphere. The ash particles collide and rub against each other, their atoms pick up electrons which create positively and negatively charged sides of the ash plume, generating static electricity, which can trigger lighting, according to the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | J Plenio
Volcanoes like Fuego that produce lightning are sometimes referred to as “dirty thunderstorms,” per Smithsonian Magazine. Fuego, nicknamed the “Volcano of Fire,” sits roughly 30 miles southwest of Guatemala City in Central America. It’s an active stratovolcano that has been “vigorously erupting” since 2002, as per the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Diego Giron
Current reports suggest that this fiery volcano emits flurries of gas and ash into the air as often as multiple times a day. This frequency has especially leapfrogged since its eruption in 2018 which was marked by blasting explosions, pyroclastic flows, and lahars.
Rice grain and white rice.Image via 
Person eats rice.Image via 
Washing and rinsing rice. 
Mother and daughter eating rice meal.Image via 
Bees feeding on food source.Image via 
In the depths...Pexels | francesco ungaro
Hope the lights stay on. Pexels | parfait fongang
"That was beyond crazy..." YouTube | 
"This is the stuff of my nightmares..."YouTube | 
"Totally blown away..." YouTube | 
A representative Image of The Atlantic Ocean. Source: Pexels | Kellie Churchman
Representative Image Source: Painting from a series by Ernest Untermann in the museum at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah.
Representative Image Source: VARIOUS DINOSAURS IN GOBI DESERT. Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
Great white shark pokes its head above water.Image pulled from YouTube video - Photo taken by Geraldine Fernandez
Great white shark swims in the ocean.Image via Canva - Photo by lindsay_imagery
President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.