Date: March 5, 2019
Location: Taku, Saga Prefecture (Japan)
Address:
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Coal Dust
Industry: Coal Mining
Equipment: Unknown
Company: City of Taku
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to its Wikipedia entry, the City of Taku is located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. It was founded on May 1, 1954, after the merger of several towns and villages. It was once a thriving coal mining area, although all coal mines have been closed.
Incident Description:
On March 5, 2019, the Asahi Shimbun reported an ongoing underground fire at Taku, Japan.
An underground fire started in the mining town in the spring of 2017 and continues to burn. Authorities say that there is no realistic way to extinguish the fire, which is fueled by accumulated coal waste and dust and appears to be spreading. According to residents, the fumes are noxious on some days and white smoke billows halfway up the mountain, giving off a pungent odor every time the wind blows.
The city once had 14 coal mines, but the last of them closed in 1972. This fire ignited on a ten-meter-high pile of coal scrap when a landowner burned fallen trees. The local fire department put out the surface flames, but the fire had spread underground.
The fire department and city authorities have cut down all trees in the area and discharge huge amounts of water on a routine basis. One official has proposed that the underground area be flooded and the city government is anxious to begin due to worry that digging down to reach the fire could cause it to spread even further.
FDMA officials and fire disaster experts are carrying out field tests in the area before deciding how to proceed.
Sources:
Asahi Shimbun
