【SMM Flash News】 Colorado Completes Year-Long Project to Extinguish Century-Old Smoldering Coal Waste Pile
The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) has announced the completion of the Corley Mine Surface Burn Mitigation Project near Florence, ending a nearly year-long effort to extinguish a 9.5-acre smoldering debris pile. The project was fast-tracked in May 2025 after internal temperatures in the century-old coal waste surged to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, posing significant environmental and fire risks. Crews excavated approximately 82,000 cubic yards of coal waste and carbonaceous shale, cooling the material with water and gravel before burying the stabilized remnants under 164,800 cubic yards of dirt and rock. This successful mitigation addresses a spontaneous combustion issue that had persisted for two decades, securing the site against future ignition.