The Underground Fire That Has Been Raging In Jharia For 100 Years

Just a short way beneath the surface of the Earth, a blazing fire rages in a small town called Jharia in Jharkhand, locked away on the Eastern end of India. There’s nothing biblical about it, but its ability to swallow and destroy almost anything that gets in its way, and the fact that it’s never been put out in over 100 years does give hell fires some element of reality to it. Famous for its coal resources, Jharia is also the home to the largest coal-mine fire complex in the world though, so perhaps this scenario isn’t as shocking as it seems. All we know for certain is that destruction is on its flaming lips, and there are a large number of people out there who have been trying to identify its exact origins. For the full story, however, you’ll need a little more context.
In the late 19th century, humans discovered coal within the thick green forest in Jharkhand--a finding that has, unsurprisingly, caused enormous strife in the region ever since considering that coal quickly became one of the most valued resources on earth. By the time centuries turned, most of the country’s needed coal was mined from here. At the time, the British, princely families, and mercenaries fought for control, but the people of this town never flinched until the first fire erupted over here. It was early 1916 when coal that was exposed to the air during mining operations, spontaneously combusted, and life changed for the villagers forever.
But, the problems of the villagers only begins there. The burning coal also releases particulate matter and lethal gases, such as sulfur, carbon and nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons—all of which can cause illnesses ranging from a stroke to chronic respiratory problems. Continued activity can lead the ground to collapse, causing everything in the region, including buildings and people to fall into the chasm. As far as where it all began goes, wired magazine explains that “the best explanation is the fires are the result of coal mines that were improperly shut down.”
In 2014, Johnny Haglund, an adventure photographer, visited Jharia and documented what it’s like living in the midst of such an inferno in his collection The Earth is on Fire. An apt name considering the burning mountains, disappearing houses and people dying, make it clear that the earth is literally on fire, over here.
“At the end of every day I had a layer of coal on my clothes and my skin, and often felt like my face was burning. I had pretty heavy boots but sometimes, when just walking around, the soles almost melted off,” he said while talking about his experience to The Mirror.
In the 100 years since that the fire has raged on, it is estimated that that at least 37 million tons of coal have been consumed in the inferno, reaching temperatures as high as 731 degrees Celsius. Taking the sheer amount of coal that has burned until now and assuming that the remaining inaccessible amount will burn out at the same rate, it is believed that these same fires could last for another 3,800 years.
Of course, this is not a problem distinct to Jharia. Thousands of such fires are believed to be burning in 22 countries on every continent, except Antartica. Some of them have been burning for decades, and just like the one in Jharia, there’s little that can or has been done to permanently extinguish them. While very little is spoken about them, it is important to remember that these fires destroy large amounts of energy sources, obliterate ecosystems and human communities whilst emitting dangerous toxins, particulate matter and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Haglund, while talking about his experience photographing the 100-year-old inferno said, “I have been [working as a photojournalist] for many years, and I never get used to kids suffering. I saw young kids—six or seven years old—carrying coal with no shoes on, breathing that air. It was terrible.”
To making a living, people often steal coal from the mines, and sell it in local markets or use it for cooking and heating. While they may often go unnoticed by authorities, these individuals often are injured or killed by falling into fissures. Many of them are children, struggling up the mine’s embankments with heavy loads. And because what they are doing is illegal, the fear that they will be arrested, keeps them from reporting the same to the police.

In 2006, the government realising the need, promised to relocate the villagersto another part of the district. They said that the cost of relocation would be made up by the value of the coal lying underneath. However bureaucratic holdups and local resistance—for many even know it is dangerous, it is all they have ever known and are hence apprehensive to move —have hampered this move. According to Haglund, while many families are willing to move, they haven’t been able to because the government hadn’t offered them enough money and they can’t afford to leave on their own. “They feel stuck,” he says.

Coal fires are likely to increase in the future, as the global demand for coal continues to rise to meet the growing needs of technologically advanced and developing nations. Unlike forest fires that are usually extinguished as quickly as possible, coal fires may burn for decades as in the United States, for hundreds of years as in China, or for thousands of years as in Australia, where the oldest-known coal fire, Burning Mountain, has been ablaze for the past 6,000 years. Such long-term, and even short-term for that matter, exposure to the emissions from coal can threaten human health and wildlife ecosystems. Given the enormity and prevalence of the problem, it’s essential that we study the phenomenon as much as possible, so we can not only educate the general public about the dangers such fires pose, but also find cost-effective strategies for preventing, extinguishing or containing these fires.
Till then, we must continue to live in no uncertain terms, in our own Hell on Earth.

Scroll on for more images from Haglund’s series...