Pennsylvania's Forgotten Mine Fire; Red Ash Mine Fire, Laurel Run, Wilkes-Barre Township. Circa 1915

The Red Ash Mine fire in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania began in 1915 from a miner's flame safety lamp or carbide lamp after it caught a mine timber on fire and then spread to the nearby Red Ash vein of anthracite coal. The mine crew attempted to put it out, but it smoldered for decades until abandonment in 1959/60. Once the mine was abandoned, the fire truly grew out of control. The whole village of Laurel Run was torn down in the 1960s in an attempt to stop/slow down the mine fire's spread. To this day in 2022, the mine fire is very active. I have been visiting this site on an annual basis roughly for 19 years (2003) and it is still burning in all the sections I noticed back then! I wonder if it will jump the firebreaks constructed in the 1960s/70s and spread to the adjacent coal mines? The ground can be unstable potentially and you do run the risk of falling into a void full of superheated and toxic gases and/or being burned to death in a literal hellfire. So please avoid the area. If you do go, watch your literal footsteps and be careful of the smoke emissions (carbon monoxide), they will overpower you potentially.
The remarkable thing for me is the fact that this mine was mined long before 1915, then it catches on fire, mining continues to the 1960 time period and 62 years later there is STILL enough fuel for the mountain to wildly burn. It is a mind-boggling amount of energy being lost. Perhaps the steam power/heat should be harnessed and piped into Wilkes-Barre? Feel free to discuss and be sure to smash that like & subscribe button! As always, thanks for viewing. Be sure to check in for my future uploads, as I have interesting material coming!
#anthracite #anthracitecoal #laurelrun #wilkesbarre #laurelruncoalminefire #wilkesbarrefire #wilkesbarrecoalfire #wilkesbarrepennsylvania #pennsylvania #abandonedtown #ghosttown #abandoned #creepy #redash #2022 #1915 #mines #mining #coalmine #coalmining #coalminers #coal #abandonedminefire #anthracitefire #abandonedcoalfire #lehighvalleyrailroad #georgetown #subsidence

[@bobcrawford8713]

That's my families neck of the woods they lived on s.marshall street my father worked for a short time in the early 1950's and when he was laid off he left pennsy.I had a lot of relatives from there and they all said the amount of coal there is mind boggling that fire is going to burn for a long long time.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

That's interesting. What did your Dad do if I may ask? Your family was right, the amount of coal still in reserve is nuts. Coal fires burning underground burn at a slower rate than on the surface, but still, 107 years later and even after all that coal mining took place.....a wild reality. Thanks for the story!

[@thekingsilverado3266]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories The amount of coal way on past that North west are to the Shik area & way on past Scranton is really mind blowing, probably the richest untouched coal yet to be mined. When Mid Atlantic coal was buying out several other companies they proposed in writing to the state they would surface mine there the fire there Laurel Run and put the fire out. The corruption going on from 1960 till current is monsterous with no end site. The county wanted millions & the state too every one had their hand out so Mid Atlantic said screw U to em & it still does today what it does now. They buy up old deep mines and mine the modern way. Greedy state and local politicians R the main reasons why those fires are still burning to this very day. Catch the one right across the street from my house there are morons building on the lot almost directly above the JUNEDALE mine fire.... Talk about lack of brains and greed... The problems with these mine fires is the counties and the state do not want to hire COMPETENT the reasons why I put COMPETENT in big letters is the state and counties do not want to hire competent resources to monitor the progress or aid these companies in their work. Its much cheaper to allocate funds for the mine fires and cart off that FEDERAL assist money. Nobody monitors that cash from when it gets to the coffers to the time it magically just disappears but we still do get federal assistance for the mine fires. The cash just disappears. Most volunteer groups sic Centralia and Mahony City actually do things they just don't get no cash for their efforts. A big slap in the face is what they get.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@thekingsilverado3266 so true man, you know your stuff. The corruption is sickening. I didn't even know they proposed to dig it out. Just totally makes sense. So disgusting to literally rather waste it. Yup, good old Federal dollars just roll in, no oversight or accountability. Free money afterall? Just we tax payers...

[@thekingsilverado3266]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories If U R the one covering this stuff I would like to invite U cover Junedale here near Hazleton. Certain days here you get skunked out by it in my back yard... But U R welcome doing factual work and I support U and your factuality.. It is well needed to expose these bums in Harrisburg

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@thekingsilverado3266 👍I'll mention this fire to my buddy who is the premier expert in all things Anthracite mining related. I've never heard of it personally. I'm sorry to hear you're going through some sort of hell from it. That's terrible to hear. The Harrisburg swamp is something else.

[@MikeOrkid]

Just came from the other Laurel Run video. It's funny growing up in anthracite country and not caring about any of it till my mid 30s and now I explore them as much as possible. Many portals still open in the valley which is a little bittersweet.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Please do not mention open mines on here. There's a lot of drama that goes on with this. Hahaha. Trust me...thanks for watching though.

[@evanstauffer4470]

I lived in the Wilkes-Barre area (Dallas to be exact) as an elementary school student in the early-mid 1960s. We knew about the "Laurel Run Mine Fire" as we called it. It was in the news from time to time. I don't recall knowing what started it.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Hello. That's cool. I have a teaching degree myself (I don't use it). I'm in Lehman. The fire was started by a miner's Carbide lamp that he left on a timber. The timber caught fire and jumped into the coal vein!

[@atvras6150]

theres always something so fascinating about seeing a city i know like the back of my hand on youtube lol

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Hell ya!

[@atvras6150]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories keep doin what youre doin brotha 🙏

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@atvras6150 thank you man. I shall hopefully. I have limitless content to create. So much can be done with just our Anthracite history surprisingly. 👍🫡

[@atvras6150]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories hell yea man

[@theresachiorazzi4571]

My late husband came from Wilkes barre he told me about those fires his relatives live there in houses over the fires it would freak me out I wouldn’t want to live there I know about the coal mines through conversation. Thanks for your video.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your husband. Yes, it was an unfortunate and terrifying situation for those poor people. If you want to see some scary stuff, look at my underground footage 🙂 Thank you for watching! Again, sorry about the passing of your husband. Both of my parents are from Wilkes-Barre.

[@Mark-iv7np]

Very aware of the fire I lived in Stanton Hill across from the old Kmart. What I didn't know until someone else did a similar video and mentioned there was talk about evacuating Georgetown and destroying all the homes like Laurel Run. You really did yr homework, very great video. Keep up the good work.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Hey thank you Mark, I appreciate that. I'm glad you brought that to my attention. Yeah, Georgetown was in peril as I recall. I'm sure it still may be....wild speculation on my end however. Weren't the getting crazy high temps in some sections of Georgetown registering in the high 400F range (underground). I'll have to look into that as a followup. Thanks again for your kind words. I liked that old Kmart. Sad they're all gone now, Pittston, Edwardsville.

[@fastede52]

Good job sir getting the word out. No one e believes me when I tell people that the mountain is still burning. There is a trailer park in the middle of it.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Thanks man. Ya, there is. A small little playground too believe it or not also, lol.

[@robertkowalski9263]

I recall seeing the smoke coming from the mountains when driving to my aunts house. My dad said they were mi e fires. Crazy how long it has been burning!

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

It is crazy how long it has been burning for. I'm ironically at the Lowe's near the mine fire as I'm reading your comment! Thanks for your comment.

[@kid_kaoz]

I grew up in Binghamton. I now live in the south but still drive through the area on my way back for visits. I always thought the Scranton Wilkes-Barre area was really pretty. I didn't know about the mine fire there at all. On a side note, I've only ever heard Wilkes-Barre pronounced Wilkes-Berry (or else sometimes "burry," like it's "burrry" cold out).

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Hello, thank you for the comment. I just realized that I say it both ways. Lol. I've heard it said both ways. Yes, the Valley can be pretty, your neck of the woods is nice looking also.

[@electrictractiontrainsandt3063]

Interesting video. Very informative!

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Thank you. I love old electric trolleys too btw. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area's "Laurel Line" is my favorite! A shame they're mostly all gone!

[@electrictractiontrainsandt3063]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories your welcome! I am watching your channel as we speak! The Laurel Line is a favorites of mine too, I have a few videos on my channel from last year in Scranton! I subscribed to your channel, keep the interesting video coming!👌👍

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@electrictractiontrainsandt3063 thank you. I'll sub to yours too and check those out!

[@LTkrazyy]

Wow lived in the area forever and did not know about this!

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

👍

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Now you do! Thanks for watching!

[@OK-JL76]

Live 20 minutes from centralia, didn’t know wilksbare was on fire too.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Nice. I know your area well too. Ya, this one has been burning since 1915. It's really active still too up there. A vicious fire for sure.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@marieconroy1723 It's crazy isn't it?

[@Buster2058]

my grandpa lifelong coal miner who died from black lung said this red ash mine was the worst mine in the county to work. Something about it (pre-fire) was extra dangerous.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Love the dog photo on your profile picture. That's cool and sad about your grandfather. Sorry to hear. I spent a lot of time in the Red Ash vein of coal (it's in the mtns of the Valley here on both sides of the river) & it has a bad roof. Red Ash = bad roof, that's probably what he meant. Some gnarly natural gas explosions too from that vein of coal also.

[@dirtydiesels3110]

Good info!!!

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Thanks buddy. 👍

[@Polioman]

i live in w-b and go wbahs and ngl right by the school there’s about 3 mine entrances ive found but i never knew abt the mine fire in laurel run

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Nice, that's awesome that you knew about the mine fire. If you want, feel free to send an email (somewhere on channel info) and you can tell me more about the entrances. I don't like to publicly discuss entrances for safety concerns, etc.

[@roweinnovation]

Pennsylvania has so many abandoned mines i live north east pa and can find mines regularly

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Yes, the sky's the limit.

[@roweinnovation]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories they are but darn dangerous

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@roweinnovation I got a lot of videos on here coming of my explorations taken over the years. There's a few posted already. Feel free to watch them! Yes, amateurs should never venture into a mine. They are not playgrounds.

[@roweinnovation]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories can't wait

[@danielsplayhouse3804]

I knew about the Red Ash mindfire since I was a little kid my parents come from Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania and every time we went up there to visit my grandma my dad would take me to the mines....

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

I like your profile pic....lol. That's awesome. Your parents sound cool. Where are you at now if I may ask? I'm from Plains originally.

[@danielsplayhouse3804]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories thank you my wife made the picture for me. And currently I'm living down in Bradenton Florida got away from all that high expensive living up north back in 87.

[@danielsplayhouse3804]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories and I can say it's kind of historic that I can actually see someone that actually talks about something other than Centralia!

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@danielsplayhouse3804 nice man! My sister lived in Tampa from 1998-2004. I miss the Tampa Bay area for sure man.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@danielsplayhouse3804 hahaha. Thanks. I like Centralia, but there's a trillion videos on it. This video just got picked up by the KZbin recommendations or something.... it's going crazy traffic wise for me. I'll do a good video on this soon. I got better at taking videos. It just snowed here too, so maybe now is the time to have a peek again!

[@thekingsilverado3266]

U make a totally sane argument. The coal walls & its mostly the ceilings that burn remember fire goes up not down. The reasons U light a fire with embers underneath. Yes load baring load will collapse. Burning some 100 years now there will be one gigantic land collapse perhaps affect the skunky river itself. Make a note that fire has also been documented to have reached Nanticoke area and it is under the Skunky river. Research that a little. They killed off the fliers that were going around about that circa 2006 & 2007 someone was warning locals and I know alotta people sold their homes mostly all rentals in Nanticoke these days even Plymouth area too.

[@siondafyddgriffiths]

Never heard of this one

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Nice. I'll do a follow-up one up there again for everyone on here again. Maybe when it snows to show how much snow melts...thanks for watching.

[@ericschmidt7359]

I used to deliver steel to the area in the 70s and 80s. Try to keep up on both fires.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Nice. It's still burning, lol.

[@gman197922725]

No miner would leave their candle behind just to walk to the exit in the dark willingly. I feel like the mine car explanation is the most likely.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

I looked it up. A miner did in fact leave his carbide lamp burning on a timber and it burned for a whole weekend without anyone noticing.

[@Stevesbe]

I've done some mtn biking in that area 10 years ago

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Nice. It's a cool area. Beautiful views and nature has reclaimed itself a lot up there.

[@pwd4User]

I live in Scranton, I never heard of this, thanks! How do you get to that site exactly? Wouldn’t mind checking it output myself….

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching. For you, 81 South to East Northampton Street (Wilkes-Barre), go up the MTN heading East (Giant's Despair MTN) then make a left onto Laurel Run Lane. It's State Game Lands to my knowledge, so it's public land. You'll see the vents off of Laurel Run Lane (Road). Park there and go explore. It's extensive. Please be safe. Watch for the fissures, etc.

[@TheJonathanc82]

I drive through this part of PA regularly and had never heard of this fire. I knew about Centralia but not this one.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

That's cool man. Ya, a lot of people that live here have never even heard of this one! Check out my underground exploration videos if you want to see what these mines look like down there. Appreciate you watching and commenting. Drive safe.

[@redmesa2975]

There’s a coal fire burning from New Castle to Rifle Colorado. Grand Hogback mountain Been burning 120 years

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

That sounds like a cool area just from the names alone. I'll have to check that out on here. Thanks for the comment.

[@adrianstanton2652]

If it is till hot enough why not create a steam powered generation plant? Or at least a heat pump for the town. 😮

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

I agree. I wrote to my local paper over ten years ago pondering that very question. It's Pennsylvania...we do things wasteful here. Lol.

[@oculusangelicus8978]

It would be a great idea to harness that heat energy, but the biggest problem with a coal fire is what you already mentioned in your video. The ground is entirely too unstable and it would be a total waste firstly, to try and build infrastructure to harness the energy because the ground would likely collapse under the weight of it. secondly it is a serious hazard to anyone who was to be part of the crews required to build that infrastructure, and there would be litigation for the next hundred years if workers were to be killed while on the job site because there was a subsidence and equipment and men were dropped down into a coal fir that could be used to heat hell for a thousand years! THAT is why they are not trying to harness the heat from this underground fire. Centralia was torn down because of the subsidence dangers, as some of the houses in that town had fallen into the ground before the town was destroyed and people were still living in it. Coal mine fires are, firstly an ecological disaster that keeps on giving, then it is an economic disaster because of the loss of property values and destruction of the local economy and the third way is the obvious one, that any building in the town could suddenly fall into a sinkhole that has millions of tons of burning coal at the bottom of it. it would be like literally be dropped into a giant firepit that has lots of fuel left in it and is still burning. I can think of several better ways to check out than being a victim of a subsidence into a coal mine fire. It has to be one of the worst ways to die.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

So true man. I love your response. Spot on. The ghost town elements of the fires are wild to fathom. Feel free to check out my underground exploration videos man. You might like them. Appreciate your comments. I might go cook a steak (wrapped in foil) over the mine fire soon. Hahahaha.

[@briansawdo6245]

I have not heard of this one. There is probably no way of choking out the fire by blocking the air. You wouldn’t be able to find all the air inlets.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Correct. It's got a lot of fuel left too.

[@melaniechristmas955]

I understand the venting so the pressure doesn’t build, but why let it burn? Couldn’t they flood it out and put it out?

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

They can never flood it because there's too much vast voidage down there, plus there's all types of geologic fissures from the fire, they could either dig it out or at least just harness the energy being burned. Regardless, such a waste of fuel! Thanks for watching.

[@thekingsilverado3266]

I'm not being overcome by gas if I can sleep with my old lady and survive I will be just fine forever more. It is the potential land collapses that R the mind over matters and concerns in this area of the country.. U are spot on with this video... Disaster and hell R coming to breakfast one day soon.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

It's scary to live in Coal Country my friend. Subsidence is terrifying. True story, when we were looking to buy a home, there was a really nice home we liked and it was in Luzerne County near the river, I was underground that very house in an abandoned mine & decided to pull up the mine maps. Sure enough, it said that the pillars were intact as per the maps. Well, my friend and I really crunched the map and remembered the very spot where the home was in relation to the maps....it was robbed of the pillars and in fact collapsed. Yup, didn't buy that home..

[@cannibalcrow7524]

They don't build any power station there because the fire will move making any building useless, even if it's just 100 years

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

You could build a station off of the fire and have gathering lines going out from it and to the fissures. It's possible.

[@sbrazwell42]

Too many strange happenings for the mind to think this would be accidents..

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

??? It was an accident in 1915

[@oculusangelicus8978]

The amount of Coal inside of that valley could easily be measured in Cubic Miles! The coal will likely burn for another 500 or so years more, and it could easily be longer because the tunnels are pretty much oxygen free which makes the cola smolder for a significantly longer time. and an entire coal deposit can easily run for hundreds of miles. and if the fire stretches across the valley to the other mountain, through the valley it might burn perpetually for the next millennia.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Plenty of oxygen down there tbh. I've been in mines to the side flanks of the fire years ago. Also, the water can't go down into the Valley due to the high aquifer levels. The aquifer level picks up around the 81 corridor. The one time acid mine drainage is a good thing..haha. If the mine pumps were pumping water, then yes, it could go into the center of the Valley and then up the other side of the mountains heading towards Trucksville/Dallas. It won't though luckily. It'll burn towards the North and South though IMO.

[@cleoknight9204]

Y'all have a history of mine fires in PA it seems

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Many, sadly. There's 46 here actively burning off the top of my head...😐

[@BamaPrince1]

They were burning the trash back then and noticed it wasn't going out they came back to extinguish and it caught again then hitting the main veins. From what my grandfather said. So then they started venting it which created bigger problems after the fire was gone from that area the oxygen got in through the top pipe and amplified it more said it would burn the better year of 200 years. I'm originally from Bama born raised but my Grandfather well My grandmother second husband was born there grew up in the mines moved after fire started found my grandmother here in Bama later died to the chemicals in his lungs

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Sorry to hear about your grandmother. I think you're mentioning the "Centralia" mine fire via the trash fire in an old stripping pit. This one started before that one and was from a coal miner himself catching a mine timber on fire.

[@itcantbetruebutis7778]

Now I'm going fissure exploring in Centralia

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Centralia this isn't. Centralia now is also private property, so watch out if you do.

[@itcantbetruebutis7778]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories I know u were north of Scranton off 81. Is it all private ? Wonder who and why ?

[@robertadams6606]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories Yes Centralia is now off limits to anyone. They made the last few people living there leave, from what I saw they completely closed off even getting in it any more. They made the road in impassable.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@robertadams6606 yeah, a sad end to a sad town.

[@robertadams6606]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories Many of my Relatives were from that area, a little South of there, Mahanoy City. Right in the middle of Anthracite Coal mining. As a child I would go up to my Grandfather's house for the summers. The RR tracks were right across the Alley in the back. At night you would hear the trains going out. That town was one of the worst hit with the Coal Breakers when they stopped operating. You would go by the mountains of Culm along the roadway. The Coal Barons took the money built cheap row houses, then left many mines with really unhealthy water seeping out of the ground.

[@bobwoww8384]

How many mine fires are there in Pa?

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Over 45

[@bobwoww8384]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories thats fkng insane livin… how can the terrain stand up??? like y’all gotta stop buildin shit round there for realz🫤 whole states gonna be a sinkhole, ain’t it?

[@bobwoww8384]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories but seriously is that currently active fires?

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@bobwoww8384 💯%

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@bobwoww8384 nah. It's fine believe it or not.

[@73beetle19]

First I heard of that one ?

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

👍 thanks for viewing!

[@johnanthonyalberola6252]

DROVE MY XT250 THERE 1982I RAN A DICLER TRAY PLANT NOT FAR FROM THERE OPERATED AT A 600 TPH IN NANTICOKE

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Hell ya! Nice!

[@johnanthonyalberola6252]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStoriesEMERALD 8NTHACITE HIITLER GAVE ORDERS ON THE ORIGINAL I WAS THE FIRST OPERATOR DESIGNER TRAINED THEN WW2 THE MOST MODERN AND AND TODAY THE MOST MODERN

[@thekingsilverado3266]

I heard that is where the new mall is gonna be built.. Right there free coal heating 4 all.

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

A new mall? The old one isn't doing too well already, haha. For real though, they'd never build on this land, too prone to collapse and it's state wilds land to my knowledge.

[@thekingsilverado3266]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories Don't count your chickens I was spoofing. But there had been billions in aid from the 60s on for Centralia and other areas with mine fires and thee cash just disappears.. So read my other post. Mid Atlantic coal has been around forever they offered to buy that mine and put out the fire. But they wanted the funding cash and the state told em to go piss up a rope... So thee reasons 4 my comment.. I have associate clients that work at Mid Atlantic coal is how know thee real stories..

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@thekingsilverado3266 love this comment, haha. I knew you were trolling.

[@thekingsilverado3266]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStories All seriousness come have a look at the Junedale mine fire. I don't there is much on the Tube about it or not that I know of.

[@gottasay4766]

As future civilizations, given humans survive long enough and leave evidence. this will be known as the fossil fuel age? Will it be considered as primitive as the bronze, iron, etc ages?

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

That's a good question. Fossil fuels still rule our way of life....and probably always will. Even asphalt and paved roads are from oil, fertilizers, medicines, it's wild. Anthracite Coal now once pulverized into a powder like state, proves to be a great water purifier for municipalities. Lithium batteries are horribly toxic, look up the open pit mines they leave in the Congo, they make coal look tame.

[@terrynorthern38]

I liked to burn red ash in the coal heater!

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Hell ya! A great vein of anthracite coal for sure!

[@itcantbetruebutis7778]

I sleep on fissures every night

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

Do explain...

[@piggyroo100]

@@AnthraciteHorrorStoriesThink he means roids

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

@@piggyroo100 I still don't get it lol

[@waltsimonson2556]

Maybe they should have kept mining it Obviously just abandoning it didn't work . Along with everything else that they tried to do .

[@AnthraciteHorrorStories]

They should have mined it out, yes. They mined there probably from the 1860s/1880s starting, fire starts in 1915, they continued to mine until the late 50s, so they did mine a lot...just an incredible amount of coal in that mountain! It should be dug out in my opinion however. Thanks for the comment.