Volcano-like underground fire is put out after a month
Jul 24, 2015, 6:12 PM
WOODBURY, N.J. (AP) — Crews have put out a fire that burned underground in southern New Jersey for a month, melting the ground around it and reaching 1,000 degrees.
Woodbury Mayor Bill Volk tells the Courier-Post (http://on.cpsj.com/1CVu2fj ) that the fire was extinguished Thursday, a month after it started during a severe storm. He says it “looked like a volcano.”
It began when a power line snapped, sending electricity into the ground and igniting a mixture of coal and cinder used as the foundation for train tracks in a wooded area.
The mayor says neighbors called authorities when they saw smoke coming from the ground.
Firefighters went to the scene seven times over a month before county and state officials helped put it out.
___
Information from: Courier-Post (Cherry Hill, N.J.), http://www.courierpostonline.com/
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
