Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Northeastern Pennsylvania
 [Register]
Northeastern Pennsylvania Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-14-2012, 07:43 AM
 
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
2,014 posts, read 3,899,256 times
Reputation: 1725

Advertisements

October 2012 Red Ash Mine Fire Laurel Run PA









































Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-17-2012, 09:37 PM
 
Location: Port Charlotte, FL - Dallas, PA
5,173 posts, read 4,947,721 times
Reputation: 5088
Thanks for the pictures. I remember riding past a culm dump fire near Scranton off of I-81 as a kid back in the 60's and seeing the blue flames in the sides of the hill. Stunk like sulfur too.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-16-2013, 02:03 PM
 
6 posts, read 19,726 times
Reputation: 15
I grew up just yards from the underground fire in Laurel Run, I've written a book, Whispers from the Ashes, about the surrounding 1950's community with history of the fire and its effects on the borough that is now vacant land. The homes were razed in the 1960's and the inhabitants scattered throughout the region.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-16-2013, 04:04 PM
 
Location: University City, Philadelphia
22,632 posts, read 14,945,990 times
Reputation: 15935
Interesting!

The only underground coal mine fire I was aware of is Centralia.

Are there more of these underground burning around the region?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-16-2013, 07:44 PM
 
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
2,014 posts, read 3,899,256 times
Reputation: 1725
Olyphant up North near Dickson City but I have never seen it.

Olyphant mine fire still burning after years - News - The Times-Tribune
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-16-2013, 07:46 PM
 
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
2,014 posts, read 3,899,256 times
Reputation: 1725
The one in Laurel Run still burns very visibly and it appears to be spreading up the Mountain. I'm not sure how far the seam goes but I have seen new plumes in areas I didn't see last year so it definitely is on the move.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-16-2013, 07:47 PM
 
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
2,014 posts, read 3,899,256 times
Reputation: 1725
If you go there on a morning when there is frost on the ground the scenery is amazing.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-16-2013, 07:56 PM
 
6 posts, read 19,726 times
Reputation: 15
The coal burning in Laurel Run is anthracite. That particular vein was listed as the largest and most shallow in the U.S. The town was razed with the hope of stopping the fire from moving into Wilkes-Barre. They may have accomplished that, but it will most likely follow the vein over the mountain in time.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-16-2013, 08:08 PM
 
41,813 posts, read 51,059,937 times
Reputation: 17865
Anthracite needs a specific environment to burn and those fires are mostly the gases burning in the surrounding rock that is porous. The visible plumes you see are water vapor. Here's the rock "on fire" from the one in Olyphant:

Olyphant Mine Fire

Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-17-2013, 01:07 AM
 
6 posts, read 19,726 times
Reputation: 15
What is the specific environment? Does that mean coal no longer exists to burn? In the past everything above and near the vents were coated thickly with yellow sulfur. Now the vapor is clear and the surrounding flora and fauna appear to be growing. Maybe the fire will burn itself out?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Northeastern Pennsylvania
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top