Mining has occurred in the Uniontown Syncline (coal basin) in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA for over one hundred years. Fires periodically occur along the perimeter of the basin in the abandoned workings of the Pittsburgh Coal seam. The Percy Mine Fire is one such fire that occupies the workings of an abandoned coal mine underlying approximately 50 acres on the eastern flank of the Uniontown Syncline. The Pittsburgh Coal was extensively mined in the basin with interconnecting mine workings extending from Uniontown on the south to Connellsville on the north, a distance of 6 miles. Three mine pools, flooding most of the underground workings, are defined within this basin. The coal in the center of the basin can not burn in its current submerged condition. Along the perimeter or outcrop zone, the mine workings rise out of the mine pool and extend to the outcrop where they become susceptible to burning. This zone encompasses more than 74 miles of outcropping coal along the perimeter of the syncline. The Percy Mine Fire, lies within this perimeter and has plagued the surrounding communities of Youngstown and Percy for over 30 years. It has been a threat to the health, safety and welfare of those living near and over the fire and it has lowered the property value of those living in the vicinity of the fire. This paper reports on the history of past mitigation actions and details the methods and results of GAI Consultants, Inc.'s innovative and successful extinguishment plan, utilizing, Low Permeability Cementicious Material~? (LPC_(TM)), a coal combustion product, for the first time on an underground coal mine fire. The project was a joint effort headed by Pennsylvania's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, GAI Consultants, Inc., Reliant Energy, and Howard Concrete Pumping, Inc.
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