Alaska ? Alaska’s Mount Redoubt volcano erupted five times Sunday night and Monday morning, sending an ash plume more than 9 miles into the air in the volcano’s first emissions in nearly 20 years.

Residents in the state’s largest city were spared from falling ash, though fine gray dust fell Monday morning on small communities north of Anchorage.

Ash from Alaska’s volcanos is like a rock fragment with jagged edges and has been used as an industrial abrasive. It can injure skin, eyes and breathing passages. The young, the elderly and people with respiratory problems are especially susceptible to ash-related health problems. Ash can also cause damage engines in planes, cars and other vehicles.