Eruption concerns along West Coast

Huge fissure opens on Hawaiian volcano; some defy evacuation order

SPOKANE, Washington - The eruption of a Hawaii volcano has people warily eyeing volcanic peaks on the West Coast of the United States.

The West Coast is home to a 1,300-kilometer chain of 13 volcanoes from Washington state's Mount Baker to California's Lassen Peak. They include Mount St. Helens, whose spectacular 1980 eruption in the Pacific Northwest killed dozens of people and sent volcanic ash across the country, and massive Mount Rainier, which towers above the Seattle metro area. The peaks are part of the "Ring of Fire" - volcanoes that sit on tectonic plates. Hawaii is not part of the Ring of Fire.