Volcano Panic Erupts! Residents of Alaska's Biggest City Plunged Into Panic as They Are Warned to Brace for Earth-Shattering Explosion — With Pets Handed Gas Masks
Residents of Anchorage, Alaska are bracing for the eruption of Mount Spurr by loading up on supplies and gas masks.
April 11 2025, Published 11:29 a.m. ET
Alaska's biggest city is feeling the heat as a volcanic eruption looms just weeks away.
Mount Spurr towers 11,000 feet high and sits just 81 miles from Anchorage, home to nearly 300,000 residents – and scientists have warned an intense blow could soon cover the entire city in a massive cloud, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Scientists are warning a massive cloud could cover the Alaskan city.
Matt Haney, scientist-in-charge at the AVO, told DailyMail the eruption would be "explosive," sending multiple ash plumes soaring up to 50,000 feet into the air.
Each episode would last three to four hours, trapping Anchorage and surrounding areas in a thick cloud.
On March 20, Anchorage officials raised the emergency planning level to Level 2, signaling an increased focus on public communication and preparations for eruption response.
The city also issued pet safety guidelines, advising owners to keep animals indoors, stock up on supplies for two weeks, and clean ash from pets' fur if they go outside.
Residents have since been stocking up on N95 masks, gloves, water, and protective gear – including goggles, gas masks, and booties for their dogs.
TikTok user Angela Łot'oydaatlno Gonzalez said in a recent video: "We’re getting ready for the volcanic eruption," while showing off her dogs.
Wearing goggles herself, she sat with her two pups, who were also wearing protective eyewear.
She laughed: "They’re not happy with the goggles. Next, we’ll get them ear protection and something to cover their bodies."
Residents are buying gas masks and booties for their dogs to keep them safe from the eruption.
Anchorage residents Alliana Salanguit and Jesslin Wooliver also told NPR they immediately bought protective gear for their dog after scientists warned Mount Spurr could erupt.
Salanguit said: "I searched 'pink, dog goggles, small,' and it was the top result. Aren't they darling?"
At AK Bark, an Anchorage pet store, owner Mark Robokoff told NPR he sold over 500 pairs of protective eyewear for dogs in March.
He also mentioned a shipment of dog respirators was on its way, with 1,800 already pre-sold.
Mount Spurr has shown increasing signs of an impending eruption over the past year, including heightened seismic activity, ground displacement, and gas emissions.
Since April 2024, seismic activity has surged, with quakes rising from 30 to 125 per week by October.
At AK Bark, an Anchorage pet store, owner Mark Robokoff told NPR he sold over 500 pairs of protective eyewear for dogs in March.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) confirmed seismicity remains elevated, with small volcanic earthquakes occurring beneath the volcano.
In a Tuesday update, experts at the AVO said: "Unrest continues at Mount Spurr volcano. Seismicity remains elevated with occasional small, shallow volcanic earthquakes detected beneath the volcano over the past day.
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"AVO continues monitoring activity at Mount Spurr for signals indicating that the volcano is moving closer to an eruption."
The US Geological Survey (USGS) has also detected hundreds of tremors in the area, including a significant magnitude 3.7 quake near Petersville on April 2.
Mount Spurr's ongoing seismic activity and gas emissions suggest an impending eruption, possibly within weeks or months.
The volcano's summit crater hasn't erupted in 5,000 years, but its side vent – Crater Peak – last erupted 30 years ago.
If it erupts again, it’s likely to be similar to the 1992 eruption, which blanketed Anchorage in ash and caused significant disruptions.
Recent emissions and tremors have scientists on high alert, and if activity continues, a volcanic tremor could signal the next phase of eruption.
