Pompeii probably did not die in August.
The 24 August date comes from a Pliny letter printed in 1508 after 1,400 years of hand-copying. Excavated autumn fruit, braziers and coins argue against it. In 2018 a charcoal inscription found at Pompeii pointed to 17 October, and a 2022 study dates the eruption to late October.
Useful: A date from a copied manuscript is only as good as the chain of copyists.
Source: en.wikipedia.org