DAN JOLING
Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) –
A brief eruption of a volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands has sent an ash cloud to heights of 25,000 feet. The Alaska Volcano Observatory says Shishaldin Volcano erupted for about three minutes Thursday morning. Winds of 52 miles per hour help spread the ash cloud. The National Weather Service issued an advisory to aircraft so they can avoid it. Shishaldin is near the center of Unimak Island, the largest island in the Aleutian chain. It has a village named False Pass with a population of 39 that was unaffected by the ash cloud. Shishaldin is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutians.