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Realizing Vesuvius was erupting, the uncle of Gaius  Pliny the Elder, commander of the naval fleet at Misenum, ordered warships be launched which he took across the bay to rescue whoever he could. Landing there proved impossible due to the the hot, thick ashes and pumice (large chunks of lava), and so Pliny headed for Stabiae, a city 3 miles south of Pompeii, to the home of Pomponianus, a friend. . Because of the opposing wind, the decision was made to stay overnight and to leave at daybreak an attempt to rescue others.  Meanwhile on Mount Vesuvius broad sheets of fire and leaping flames blazed at several points, their bright glare emphasized by the darkness of night, and though  Pliny the Elder, who might have  been asthmatic,  slept, yet upon attempting to leave the  next morning he was overcome by the  flames and sulfur and he passed out and died. A few of his men did make made it  Misenum and Gaius heard the news about his uncle. Later, wrote to Tacitus of the morning of his father's death,   

Realizing Vesuvius was erupting, the uncle of Gaius  Pliny the Elder, commander of the naval fleet at Misenum, ordered warships be launched which he took across the bay to rescue whoever he could. Landing there proved impossible due to the the hot, thick ashes and pumice (large chunks of lava), and so Pliny headed for Stabiae, a city 3 miles south of Pompeii, to the home of Pomponianus, a friend. . Because of the opposing wind, the decision was made to stay overnight and to leave at daybreak an attempt to rescue others.  Meanwhile on Mount Vesuvius broad sheets of fire and leaping flames blazed at several points, their bright glare emphasized by the darkness of night, and though  Pliny the Elder, who might have  been asthmatic,  slept, yet upon attempting to leave the  next morning he was overcome by the  flames and sulfur and he passed out and died. A few of his men did make made it  Misenum and Gaius heard the news about his uncle. Later, wrote to Tacitus of the morning of his father's death,   

Elsewhere there was daylight by this time, but they were still in darkness, blacker and denser than any ordinary night, which they relieved by lighting torches and various kinds of lamp. My uncle decided to go down to the shore and investigate on the spot the possibility of any escape by sea, but he found the waves still wild and dangerous. A sheet was spread on the ground for him to lie down, and he repeatedly asked for cold water to drink.  

{{cquote|Elsewhere there was daylight by this time, but they were still in darkness, blacker and denser than any ordinary night, which they relieved by lighting torches and various kinds of lamp. My uncle decided to go down to the shore and investigate on the spot the possibility of any escape by sea, but he found the waves still wild and dangerous. A sheet was spread on the ground for him to lie down, and he repeatedly asked for cold water to drink.  

Then the flames and smell of sulphur which gave warning of the approaching fire drove the others to take flight and roused him to stand up. He stood leaning on two slaves and then suddenly collapsed, I imagine because the dense, fumes choked his breathing by blocking his windpipe which was constitutionally weak and narrow and often inflamed. When daylight returned on the 26th - two days after the last day he had been seen - his body was found intact and uninjured, still fully clothed and looking more like sleep than death.<ref>"The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (1999).</ref>

Then the flames and smell of sulphur which gave warning of the approaching fire drove the others to take flight and roused him to stand up. He stood leaning on two slaves and then suddenly collapsed, I imagine because the dense, fumes choked his breathing by blocking his windpipe which was constitutionally weak and narrow and often inflamed. When daylight returned on the 26th - two days after the last day he had been seen - his body was found intact and uninjured, still fully clothed and looking more like sleep than death.<ref>"The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (1999).</ref>}}

   

   

But overall it appears that the first day eruption claimed few victims, leaving many hundreds on the morning of 25 August groping around in a grey pumice desert. Many flat roofs caved in due to the weight, killing some of the inhabitants. Outside others groped through loose pumice seeking their escape, and some were struck down by  falling objects. However, the worst was yet to come,  and the final six hours or so of the eruption would be its most lethal.

But overall it appears that the first day eruption claimed few victims, leaving many hundreds on the morning of 25 August groping around in a grey pumice desert. Many flat roofs caved in due to the weight, killing some of the inhabitants. Outside others groped through loose pumice seeking their escape, and some were struck down by  falling objects. However, the worst was yet to come,  and the final six hours or so of the eruption would be its most lethal.