Is Utah Burning From Beneath? See These Strange Underground Fires

What Is Burning Under the Ground in Southern Utah? 

There are holes in the ground in the deserts in Utah that are smoking and some of these have been burning for decades and even one spot for hundreds of years. The Utah Geological Survey lists several places in Utah where there coal deposits slowly smoldering below the surface. 

Warm Creek, Burning Hills and Smokey Hollow are three places where there are coal seams under layers of sandstone. Through spontaneous combustion or possible lightning strikes, these seams caught fire and began to slowly burn being fed by oxygen coming through cracks in the rock. 

Why Don’t We Put the Fires Out? 

In the 1960’s, the U.S. Bureau of Mines tried to put out the fire burning below Smoky Mountain. They poured water along with fire retardant down the cracks and filled it in with dirt to stop oxygen from fueling it. But it continued to burn and create new cracks that fed the flame.  

There have been other efforts to extinguish these fires and they were able to put one out near Zion National Park, but there are still seven actively burning today. The cost and lack of success have convinced them to let nature take its course. 

Read More: Ancient Quarry? Mysterious Site In The Corner Of Utah

Utah isn’t the only place this is happening. There are thousands of places on earth where coal and gas deposits smolder. There is one in Pennsylvania that destroyed a town and left it empty. The "Door to Hell" in Turkmenistan is another famous example that involves natural gas.

If you visit these locations in Utah, don't expect to see smoke billowing out. The best time to go is in the winter when cold makes it more visible. Still, the idea of a burning fire slowly consuming below the surface is intriguing.