A Reminder of California's Volcanic Past

The ski patrol at Mammoth Mountain got a tragic reminder of the volcanic nature of many of California's mountain ranges:

Three members of a ski patrol team died Thursday when they plunged into a volcanic fissure at the Mammoth Mountain resort, a resort spokeswoman said.

Four patrol members were inspecting the mountain after heavy snowstorms, fencing off the gap in the rock, when they fell 21 feet into the volcanic vent.

Spokeswoman Joani Lynch said one of the patrol members survived the accident on the 11,053-foot peak in the Eastern Sierra.

Rescue efforts were conducted by other ski patrol members and local firefighters and paramedics.

The last reports that I heard indicated that rescuers weren't sure whether the deaths were caused by the fall, or by toxic gases that may have settled in the vent.