Thirteen years after two underground coal fires were discovered near Gallup, New Mexico, they have been finally extinguished. They might have been burning for more than 100 years.
The fires had smoldered since 2011 when they were discovered at the separate abandoned mine sites and emitted toxic gases near the Western New Mexico city of about 21,000.
KRQE TV reported the fires were put out by the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division.
“This project is another example of the outstanding work MMD does to mitigate the potential harm abandoned mine spaces can have on our environment,” EMNRD Sec. Designate Melanie Kenderdine said in a news release. “Tackling these underground coal fires is especially important because they have the potential to spark wildfires in addition to other damage.”
The coal mines were originally created in the late 1800s and early 1900s. One fire broke out in 1891 and resulted in the mine being sealed in 1905.
More than a century later, the state’s Abandoned Mine Land Program staff discovered the fires.
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