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New underground coal fire vents smoke near SIlt

SILT, Colo. (AP) – A newly discovered underground coal fire is venting smoke and fumes through two holes outside the western Colorado town of Silt.

No damage or injuries have been reported.

State reclamation workers began filling the holes with dirt this week. They say temperatures at the holes aren’t considered high enough to start wildfires.



Jim Rada, head of Garfield County’s environmental health program, says the nearest houses are about a third of a mile away. He says the fumes are “obnoxious” but aren’t dangerous from a distance.

In 2002, an underground coal fire ignited a wildfire that destroyed houses and other buildings on the west side of Glenwood Springs, about 15 miles east of Silt.


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