Marking 40 years since devastating eruption of Mount St. Helens
Posted May 18, 2020 12:49 pm.
Last Updated May 18, 2020 12:51 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SEATTLE (NEWS 1130) – It still marks the largest volcanic explosion in modern U.S. history. It was on this day 40 years ago that Mount St. Helens blew its top, killing dozens of people.
Mount St. Helens in south eastern Washington state had been a concern for months, with many watching increased volcanic activity at the time.
Then, the worst fears came true on May 18, 1980.
The blast could be heard right across western Washington, northern Oregon, and right up into the B.C. Lower Mainland.
NEWS 1130’s Bruce Claggett was just a kid when the eruption happened. He was camping in the Fraser Valley and remembers hearing a “boom” in the distance.
“We all heard it, and we started asking, ‘What’s that? Gunfire? Is it some shotgun or something like that?’ and as kids you talk about that. Later we found out that was actually the sound of Mount St. Helens 500 kilometres away blowing its top.”
Fifty-seven people died near St. Helens as a result of the eruption, which also killed thousands of animals and resulted in an estimated $1-billion in damages. In the days that followed, some ash from the blast ended up in parts of southern B.C. and Alberta, as well as 11 U.S. states.
While the eruption left a lasting memory, it also left a scar on the side of the mountain — a crater on its north side.
Today, Mount St. Helens — which sits on the Ring of Fire — remains the most active volcano in the Cascades.
