October 27, 2026 - A disaster emergency has been declared in a Pennsylvania township because of smoke from a waste coal fire. 

“You couldn’t see two feet in front of you,” Mount Carmel Township Brian Hollenbush said about conditions Monday morning from the fire near Locust Gap.

Near white-out conditions forced the temporary closure of a section of Route 901. 

Complaints received about breathing difficulties also prompted the emergency declaration, the chief said. 

Smoke or steam is shown coming from a surface mine fire near Locust Gap on Monday.

Photo by Don F. Scicchitano, For The News-Item

Water has been poured onto the site since May as burning coal mine refuse material is being excavated, said Hollenbush, who is also the township fire chief. 

The state Department of Environmental Protection said it could not provide a firm timeline about when the fire will be extinguished because it said “this is a dynamic situation.”

The agency thought the fire would be out by August, then September, and now by Christmas, Hollenbush said. 

He said he doubts that the fire would be extinguished by that date because he said there is too much earth to move and it’s a tedious process. 

The fire is located on Reading Anthracite Co. property west of Marshall Street in Locust Gap. 

DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation is confident the fire has been contained and cannot spread underground, a spokesperson said. She provided this update: 

A contractor has been excavating burning material down to a clay soil layer and applying water to quench the fire. 

Borehole monitoring at the perimeter of the burning area confirms underground temperatures are normal.