Underground coal fires are among the most persistent and destructive natural hazards on Earth. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), these fires can smolder for decades in abandoned mines and coal seams—sometimes even longer. One of the most famous examples is Centralia, Pennsylvania, where an underground fire that ignited in 1962 is still burning today and could continue for **many more decades—or even a century—**if left unchecked. Even that pales in comparison to Burning Mountain in