Underground fires are burning vast acres of coal at 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. These fires are often started through forest fires. Unlike other minerals like gold and silver that are found in veins that go a few feet, coal is found in seams beginning on a mountainside and continuing for miles. So, when it catches fire, it is basically impossible to stop until the fire runs out of its fuel.
Alarmingly high amounts of our coal storage are being destroyed in this manner. Not only is the coal being destroyed, but harmful gasses are released from burning the coal without any way to control them. They could kill someone in a matter of seconds. About 583 of these coal fires are happening as we speak in West Virginia alone. It is causing some major problems, but they have yet to figure out any solution to the problem.