The pumice plain between Mount St. Helens and Spirit Lake seethes with steam and superheated gases on May 19, 1980.
Helicopters to hell
Air rescue unit battled ash and debris in desperate hunt for survivors
The cockpit of the HH-1H Huey helicopter was silent as the crew surveyed the steaming hell of ash, gases and volcanic debris below. Mike Cooney, a pararescueman with the Air Force Reserve’s elite 304th Rescue Squadron, then based in Portland, knew at once that anyone who had been down there was beyond his help.
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