Heed the Warning!

BOOM! On June 3, 1991, with a reverberating rumble, Mount Fugen in Japan spewed out a torrent of volcanic gases and ash. The superheated mixture poured down the slope. The eruption killed 43 people. Many who barely survived were badly burned. “Water, water, please,” some cried. Fire fighters and policemen frantically raced to help them.

A LAVA dome had been observed on the summit of Mount Fugen about two weeks earlier, so the authorities and inhabitants had been on the alert. For well over a week before the disaster, an advisory to evacuate the area had been given. Just a day before the eruption, the police had asked members of the press to refrain from going into the restricted area. Yet, that fatal afternoon the 43 victims were in the danger zone.

Why did so many venture into the area or remain there? Some farmers who had evacuated their homes went back to check on their belongings and fields. Three volcanologists were trying to get as near as possible to the volcano to satisfy their academic interest. A number of reporters and photographers dared to cross the off-limits line because they wanted to get a scoop on the volcanic activity. Three cab drivers hired by the press were on the scene. Policemen and volunteer fire fighters were on duty. Each had his own reason for going into the danger zone​—and the consequence was that he lost his life.

IT IS the task of volcanologists to make observations and to weigh the evidence and then to warn about coming volcanic eruptions. (Once Mount Fugen had erupted, the police had to keep people out of the danger zone.)