Today in History

May 8, 1902

The Destruction of Saint-Pierre, Martinique

On May 8, 1902, Mount Pelee, a volcano in Saint-Pierre, Martinique erupted. Hot, caustic volcanic gases and dust poured from the mountainside, covering the small city of approximately 30,000. Just prior to the blast, there were a series of geoseismic warnings, but the people feared the lava, which would have been trapped in a valley, not the gasses which were not well understood at the time.

The hot cloud of gas caused the town to burst into flames. The eruption destroyed Saint-Pierre and nearly all of its inhabitants, resulting in the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century.

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