Crews have begun a long-awaited project to extinguish a coal seam fire that has been burning underground on Marshall Mesa, south of Boulder, Colorado, for over a century.
The fire, a remnant of the region’s coal mining history, has raised concerns about potential surface fires and threats to nearby communities, especially after the devastating 2021 Marshall Fire .
In the coming months, the Colorado Inactive Mine Reclamation Program will lead the effort to eliminate this stubborn underground blaze, which is 30 feet underground, KUNC recently reported. Crews will excavate down to the coal seam that is 6 to 8 feet thick, bringing the smoldering material to the surface. There, they will mix the coal with cooler soil to prevent reignition before reburying it…