Disasters · Locust Gap smokeLocust Gap mine fire: Smoke prompts disaster emergency and brief Route 901 closureAired October 26, 2026 at 10:58 PM UTCWritten October 26, 2026 at 11:04 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07Smoke and fog briefly shut Route901.0:09Residents are complaining of breathing difficulties, and drivers have reported0:13several near collisions.0:14Mount Carmel Township has declared a local disaster emergency as smoke from the0:18Locust Gap mine fire reaches homes and roads.0:21How quickly can emergency assistants reduce the danger while crews work without a0:24firm finish date.0:25Drivers encountered near white-out conditions around six Monday morning in0:29Pennsylvania's Mount Carmel Township.0:31Police and fire chief Brian Hollandbusch described smoke mixing with fog between the0:34intersection of routes fifty, four, and nine hundred and one in Locust Summit.0:38Several near collisions were reported before officials briefly closed Route901 on0:42October twenty-sixth.0:43We don't know its current operating status.0:45Hollenbusch urges extreme caution there and on Merriam Mountain Road.0:49In severely reduced visibility, he advises getting off the roadway safely and0:53avoiding a stop where another vehicle could strike you.0:55Residents have called the township about difficulty breathing, a sulfur odor, dry0:59mouth, and burning eyes.1:00Hollandbush says those complaints drove the emergency response.1:03A medically confirmed injury count hasn't been released.1:06Holland Bush advises residents to keep windows closed to prevent smoke from entering1:10their homes.1:11Chairman Aaron Domansky urges anyone needing urgent assistance to contact emergency1:15services.1:16The window advice doesn't mean the air inside every home has been declared safe.1:19The burning material lies about two two hundred feet west of Marshall Street in1:23Locust Gap on Rating Anthracite Company property.1:26It's a refuse calm bank, a pile of waste left from coal processing.1:29That distance locates the fire.1:31Smoke can travel beyond the site.1:33Crews are exposing hotter material as they excavate.1:35Holland Busch says, while colder mornings hold smoke closer to the ground.1:39He says the fire itself hasn't spread.1:41Domansky says conditions deteriorated over the weekend, prompting officials to1:45escalate their response.1:50The state's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation has been working with a contractor,1:54applying water and digging out burning material.1:57In April, environmental officials said the fire posed no danger of spreading2:00underground into a coal vein.2:02That assessment addressed underground spread.2:04It didn't measure the smoke residents are breathing now.2:07Supervisors voted unanimously on October20, first to designate the site an area of2:11concern and pursue letters seeking greater state attention.2:14Five days later, worsening conditions brought the local disaster emergency.2:18Officials had considered that stronger action before choosing the letters.2:21The declaration allows township officials to coordinate with county and state2:25agencies and obtain equipment, supplies, and additional personnel.2:28They can also seek state or federal emergency assistance, grants, and reimbursement.2:32Funding isn't guaranteed.2:34Supervisors must ratify the declaration at their next meeting.2:37Township officials asked the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for2:40additional air quality monitoring equipment Monday morning.2:43They also contacted Pendot about electronic message boards warning drivers about2:48smoke.2:48Delivery and installation haven't been confirmed.2:51No numerical air readings for the incident have been made public for October2:54twenty-sixth.2:55Residents are reporting symptoms while officials seek more monitoring, leaving the2:59immediate health risk unmeasured.3:00Domansky expects the emergency to remain active until the fire is extinguished.3:04The township has contacted the offices of State Senator Linda Schliegel-Culver and3:08State Representative Jo Ann Stair.3:10Holand Busch also planned to approach the governor's office for more assistance.3:14Supervisors must formally terminate the declaration to end it.3:17Domansky says the township isn't financially responsible for extinguishing the fire3:21because it's on private property.3:22His position leaves the allocation of costs among the owner, contractors, and public3:26agencies unresolved.3:28The amount of burning material requiring excavation has grown beyond earlier3:31estimates.3:32Officials had discussed December as a possible finish.3:35Emergency assistance could support the response, but delivery of the requested3:39equipment remains unconfirmed, and crews have no firm completion date.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗
