(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah’s Lila Canyon coal mine, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, has been burning since a coal pillar spontaneously combusted on Sept. 20. An aggressive drilling program is underway in an effort to extinguish the fire without wrecking the mine, which remains out of production indefinitely. Mine operators plan to inject a special foam into the mine through a series of 35 boreholes in hopes of sealing off the burning area before flooding it with water.
Brian Maffly has worked for The Tribune off and on since 1994. Maffly roams Utah, covering public land and environment.