of a mine fire had not previously been done, although Corgan had attempted to start a strip mine in the area in 1992. The setting of the novel Whispers from the Ashes is based on the community of Laurel Run in the early 1960s, when the residents were forced to evacuate. The Laurel Run mine fire may burn for another century. Geology The geographical setting of the Laurel Run mine fire has been compared to that of the Centralia mine fire. The Laurel Run mine fire was located on the southern spur of the Wilkes-Barre syncline. It is part of the ridge and valley geographical province. The coal beds that are on fire are the Ross bed, the Top Red Ash bed, and the Bottom Red Ash bed. The coal beds dip 10 or 15 degrees to the north. The Llewellyn Formation is situated on top of the Red Ash bed and the Pottsville Conglomerate is situated below it. Due to the geographical features of the area, the mine fire is only able to spread to the northeast, northwest, and southwest. In some areas in the vicinity of the fire, the ground has cracked open. However, the surface temperature is not as hot as the Centralia mine fire. The mine fire is to underground and burns at a temperature of around . See also Carbondale mine fire Centralia mine fire New Straitsville mine fire Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania References Coal mining disasters in Pennsylvania 1915 in Pennsylvania History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 1915 fires in the United States Persistent natural fires 1915 mining disasters 1915 disasters in the United States Disasters in Pennsylvania