Air Monitoring
DEP said results from Monday’s [Oct. 26] air quality spot check monitoring in Locust Gap indicated no current air quality risk to nearby residents.
DEP is working with the US Environmental Protection Agency to install air quality monitors this week at multiple locations selected with input from local public safety officials.
This community air monitoring will measure for combustion byproducts, including hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide.
DEP will continue to monitor the air quality directly at the site with personal safety field monitors that continuously measure levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, oxygen, and combustive gases.
Click Here for air monitoring data.
Efforts To Extinguish Fire
On October 26, DEP said-- Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation is working to extinguish a coal refuse bank fire near the village of Locust Gap in Mount Carmel Township, Northumberland County.
The fire has not spread since work began in Spring 2026, and DEP is confident that it has been contained and cannot spread underground.
The burning material has been entrenched and surrounded. The 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 that underground temperatures are normal.
To date, approximately 450,000 cubic yards of burning material have been excavated and quenched, and an estimated 100,000-150,000 cubic yards of material remain.
The excavation and quenching work is estimated to be approximately 70% complete.
For approximately the last month, the contractors have been working in the hottest area where the fire is believed to have originated.
As the top layer of material is removed and the actively burning material is exposed to oxygen, the fire, while still contained, can temporarily intensify. This is a necessary step to completely extinguish the fire.
DEP has received complaints in recent days about changing air quality conditions in the Locust Gap area.
DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation is working with local public safety officials and DEP’s air quality experts to understand and address the situation.
DEP staff and contractors have, since the start of firefighting work, monitored the air quality directly at the site with personal safety field monitors that continuously measure levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, oxygen, and combustive gases onsite.
Air quality monitoring conducted in Locust Gap while firefighting operations continued during the summer found no risk to residents at that time.
DEP is aware of the recent challenging air quality conditions and takes the community’s and township’s concerns seriously.
DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation met Monday with Northumberland County Emergency Management to assess the recent air quality concerns and discuss the situation.
In response to the new reports of air quality concerns, DEP began to perform air quality spot checks Monday at the site and in the nearby town while other options for air quality monitoring are considered.
Results are not available yet, but DEP will provide a summary as soon as available.
DEP’s contractor has been working continuously, seven days a week, since the start of the emergency contract and will continue to work at maximum capacity to extinguish the fire.
PFAS-free firefighting foam has been used in the hottest areas of the fire to cool the material faster.
DEP cannot provide a firm timeline for extinguishing the fire because this is a dynamic situation.
Winter weather will not substantially affect the firefighting operations.
Should operations continue into freezing weather, the contractor will take necessary measures, such as taking steps to keep water lines from freezing, to ensure work continues to a close.
NewsClips:
-- The News-Item: Mount Carmel Twp. Declares Emergency Over Worsening Locust Gap Coal Mine Fire Smoke In Northumberland County
-- WNEP: Mount Carmel Twp. Declares Emergency Over Locust Gap Coal Mine Fire In Northumberland County
-- PennLive - John Beauge: PA Township Declares Disaster Emergency Over Smoke From Waste Coal Fire In Northumberland County
-- ABC27: Concerns Rekindle Over Northumberland County Coal Refuse Bank Fire
[Posted: October 28, 2026] PA Environment Digest
