From these accounts, he wrote of a "great cloud of fire" that grew above the parish of Urzelina which was followed by abundant ash showers: On the early morning of Good Pastor Sunday, the first day of the month of May of the present year 1808, the earth shook so frequently, that we counted about eight tremors per hour, and of these there was one near sunrise so big, that it woke the population from their beds.

On the same day, with part of the people in the Church supplicating themselves to Our Lord God, there was another earthquake that caused the assembled people to flee the Church, from 11 to 12 of the same day there were other earthquakes, and closely a sound so loud...and quickly we saw arise a great cloud of smoke over the tallest mountain of the parish of Urzelina, on the peak of António José de Sequeira, and in front of the Church of São Matheus, whose plan is central to the parish and was the most pleasing on the island, and for that reason it is visited by many good and bad people of all the islands, and in a short time it covered the highest sky made an arc over the parish of Manadas and of Urzelina... From the mouth of that volcano existed roars so great and trembling without interval that it invited the inhabitants of this island to Judgment.

Arriving the tragic evening, it dis-animated the inhabitants of this island to see the fire and ignite rocks, that escaped as meteors and almost looked like they fell over the people, and the windows of the church almost appeared to break with the echoes of the sound that threatened our life.

The hinterland where the mentioned fire passed remained beaten and the grottoes formidable, the road broken in a manner that there did not pass cars nor people.A similar account was described by João Soares de Albergaria de Sousa, in the quasi-political document Corografia Açórica:[1] The volcano of 1808, that we witnessed erupt from Lagoinhas, along the massif that lies to the north of the village of Urzelina, also expelled from the locality of d'Entre Ribeiras, a league to the north-west of that area and then later in the area of Areias; the first tongue expelled for many days great quantities of material: for seven days the sun was obscured from the density in the atmosphere, impregnated with volcanic vapors; there were ash showers; the island suffered many and violent concussions; the soil in the neighborhood of the volcano opened deep cracks; these faults opened in areas 88-132 centimeters.

This volcano ran to the sea, without interruption, leaving the ground covered in lava to a height of 990 centimeters, approximately.The volcanic activity continued until May 4, from several points above Urzelina, migrating to as far as 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) towards the direction of Entre Ribeiras.

This new episode was accompanied by the production of lava that destroyed a great part of the parish, fostering gas clouds and nuée ardente that caused the death of thirty people, as described by João Teixeira Soares:[2] The volcanic activity ceased, but gradually; the craters smoked still for many days, and for many years it was perceptible near the faults...a major elevation in the temperature, marked by Herbaceous plants that covered the soil.

The lavas conserved, also, for years, sulfurous gases...Of the phenomenons that we related, that which appeared to give the most attention of the geology, was the nuée ardentes...They were laden with a humid powder or dough, making them heavy and obligated them to fall to earth, down the flanks, to the sea.

This toxic contact wilts and kills plants immediately...The asphyxiating power of these clouds, their progress close to the surface of the soil and the constant movement along the slopes indicate a principal element...the existence of a killer and dense gas, probably indicates carbonic acid.

The testimonies from the 1808 eruption do not refer to flames; the descriptions that were left, makes one conclude that the temperature of the nuée ardentes were low temperature.A similar description was compiled by João Teixeira Soares, writing in the O Jorgense (numbers 21, 22 of August 15 and September 1, 1872)[3] He was a little more specific, noting that in the timeline of the events, that around June 5, ten days after the first emissions covered the island, fumes flowed to the east and west, causing a large surge in temperatures and devastating the vegetation.

The chlorific affects described were presented by inexperienced observers: the situation in these places where they were produced, the distance more or less distant from the emission points, the variable rapidity of the volcanic nuee, the climatic conditions particular of the atmosphere in the time of each eruption, and many other things, could still modify considerably the diverse intensity of the actions taken by the heat events.

In a letter dated July 23, the municipal chamber accepted the General's offer of cereal and foodstuffs, but the writer, José Félix Rodrigues Mendes, added: ...the greatest gift that your excellency could provide, with the attention of the poverty that remains on this island, is to represent to Our Royal Highness, that he abolish the militia regiment, whose body is formed by a great part of the impoverished of the fires: since the poor do not live on anything but their stipend and, even the more miserable, only appear in their tunics, without even wearing shirts: the occasion is opportune, if your excellency is willing to protect this island, to dignify and make us this the greatest of gifts.The intent of the request was to free some serfs to assist in the reconstruction, but the Civil Governor and Captain-General, responding in an angry letter, dated October 21, were insulted by the letter's signatories, demanding that those who had signed the document should have their functions suspended (resulting in José Félix Rodrigues Mendes's suspension from the municipal chamber).

[5] The several earthquakes that occurred during the events motivated officials in Horta to send personal assistance to the island; in this case a contingent of residents traveled to Velas in order to offer support and their hospitality to many of the local people affected by the crisis.