Mountain of Fire

Mountain of Fire is the narrative nonfiction story of the violent volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, the story of the people who died, those who survived, and the heroes who fought to raise an alarm.

For weeks, the ground of Mount St. Helens shuddered like a dynamite keg ready to explode. There were legends of previous violent fire, treacherous floods, and heat that scoured the area. But the shaking and swelling was unlike any volcano ever seen before. Day and night, scientists tried to piece together the mountain’s clues – but nothing could prepare them for the destruction to come.

The long-dormant volcano seethed away, boiling rock far below the surface. Washington’s Governor, Dixie Ray, understood the despair that would follow from people being forced from their homes. How and when should she close the mountain? And would it be enough to save the people from the eruption of Mount St. Helens?