article_snippet: Here the infernos have been left to burn unhindered following a coal mine collapse in the resource-rich region - which produced a blaze so intense authorities have balked for decades at the effort required to extinguish a blaze.
article_snippet: Miners work to repair a digger at the bottom of the open-cast mine, where fires have raged since 1916 .
article_snippet: Fuelled by billions of dollars worth of coal lying under the surface, the fires cause sinkholes which twenty years ago swallowed 250 homes within four hours.
article_snippet: The first coal mine fire was detected in the area in 1916 and is believed to be due to a open cast mine not being correctly decommissioned.
article_snippet: In the decades since, The first coal mine fire has spread to become truly unmanageable.
article_snippet: Miners attempt to repair a digger at the sprawling open-cast mine in northeastern India .
article_snippet: The first coal mine fire was detected in the area in 1916 and is believed to be due to a open cast mine not being properly decommissioned .
article_snippet: It is believed that if the remaining coal still sitting below the surface (1.5billion tonnes) was to burn at a similar rate, more than 70 fires could last for another 3,800 years, Earth Magazine reported.
article_snippet: Coal mine fires spew out from the ground.
article_snippet: Having burned for nearly a century, Coal mine fires have been known to cause sinkholes that swallow villagers' homes .
article_snippet: It's thought it would be possible to extinguish Coal mine fires, but there is a lack of political will .