Laurel Run Mine Fire
- Date Range
- December 6, 1915 – November 15, 2021
- Title
- Laurel Run Mine Fire
- What occurred
- On December 6, 1915, a miner unintentionally left a carbine lamb attached to a piece of timber. Due to the Red Ash Mine having no positions on night's watch, the fire was able to burn over the entirety of the ensuing weekend. The company was made aware of the fire and began to plug surface opening of the mine with concrete and sand into the area. The company believed it had taken care of the fire, however it continued to burn and in 1921, the fire burned beyond the company's containment area. The company continued to mine resources in certain sections of the mine while building seals to block off other sections. The fire continued to burn in 1957 when the mines below Laurel Run were forced to close. Five years later in 1962, a woman was forced to evacuate her home due to mine gasses from the fire. It was around this time where the community realized that they were facing an uncontrollable mine fire beneath their feet. In April of 1966 a plan to control the fire was adopted and a series of bore-holes were drilled into the mine. The fire did spread into the Stanton-Empire Mine of Scranton as well as the Georgetown mine of Wilkes-Barre.
- Location
- Laurel Run, Pennsylvania,
- Image Citation
- http://www.abandonedcountry.com/2015/05/12/laurel-run-pennsylvania-fire-on-the-mountain/
- Student name(s)
- Reed Karaska
Part of Laurel Run Mine Fire