Coal seam fires have seen more attention in Colorado, in part because one is a suspected cause of the destructive Marshall Fire in the Boulder area in December.
According to The Colorado Sun, Colorado will get $10 million in federal funds to control coal seam fires. State officials called the threefold funding increase a “game changer,” helping to protect communities and support mining jobs, The Sun said.
The fires also have become more of a priority to regulators because active fires create an increased risk of starting wildfires in the current extended drought.
In Southwest Colorado, there are a handful of coal seam fires, but none are considered very active or pose a risk to public safety, according to state and federal officials.
Underground coal seam fires occur in natural deposits or abandoned coal mines, said Jeff Graves, program director with the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety.
They can be ignited by wildfires, humans, lightning or even by spontaneous combustion. They have a tendency to smolder for weeks, months or years and can be difficult to extinguish.
And the land around a coal seam fire may become unstable and subside as the coal underneath burns away.
The Colorado Division of Mining Safety lists two historic coal mines in Southwest Colorado that have a history of smoldering or burning but are now listed as dormant.
The McElmo site south of Cortez is on private land, and the Soda Springs site is on the Southern Ute reservation southwest of Durango.
Neither are considered high risk, Graves said, according to a 2018 inventory report. The Colorado Division of Mining Safety has received no recent report that they have been burned, smoked or emitted strong odors.
“They are not a high priority,” Graves said.
The McElmo site is within a half-mile of structures, and the Soda Springs is far from any structure. Graves said the state notifies nearby fire departments of coal seam fires from historic coal mines and offers technical assistance on mitigation. Inventory and inspection of coal seam fires is done every five years, and the next studies are planned for 2023.
In the San Juan National Forest northeast of Dolores, three coal seam fires were discovered in 2020 after they had been ignited by the Plateau Fire in 2018, said Dolores District Ranger Derek Padilla. The are less than 1 acre each.
Coal Seam Fire 1, thought to be an old coal mine, was put out because of its proximity to Forest Road 525 at the head of Beaver Canyon. It was discovered when it started a small wildfire within the Plateau fire burn area.
The forest was assisted by the state Division of Mining Safety. A backhoe dug out the burning coal deposit, which was soaked with water and reburied.
Coal Seam Fires 2 and 3 are near House Creek and on the rim of Plateau Creek. They are in remote rugged, terrain and are not very active, Padilla said. They are being monitored, and no mitigation is planned at this time.
“We saw some movement on them in the fall, but nothing real significant,” Padilla said.
Vegetation is relatively scarce where they are located.
“They don’t pose a significant threat now, but if there is critical fire weather, they could become more of a concern,” he said.
Colorado recently received $10 million from the federal infrastructure budget to mitigate coal seam fires, according to the Colorado Sun. There are 38 active coal mine fires in the state that are known.
Graves said the department was determining which coal seam fires are the highest priority for mitigation, and the additional funding is welcomed.
Monitoring and mitigation of coal seam fires has been more of a bandage approach, but the added funding “opens up new possibilities to do more mitigation,” he said.
Division of Mining and Safety focuses on monitoring and mitigating coal seam fires from historic mines and less on natural coal seam fires and are available to help landowners and governments on the issue.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
