Abandoned Chesterfield coal pile is once again on fire in Winterpock

Crews are once again working to extinguish a coal fire in Chesterfield. (Photo: Virginia Energy)

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WRIC) — No, it’s not just deja vu you can smell in the Chesterfield air. Crews are once again working to extinguish a coal fire in an abandoned mining area, just over a month since they last tackled a persistent fire there.

The latest fire should be out by the end of the week, according to officials with Virginia Energy, at a cost of $170,000.

The coals refuse pile in Winterpock was the site of another blaze that was put out on March 24. But though the state’s Abandoned Mine Land team covered that area in stone to prevent future fires, another fire has now started in an uncovered area nearby.

Officials warned that water used to extinguish the fire throughout the week may give the appearance of increasing smoke. Once the fire is extinguished, workers will place stones over the affected section of coal refuse.

The coal refuse pile is left over from the Bright Hope Coal Company, which was in operation during the 1800’s.

“At the time, technology was not available to better separate coal from rock during the mining process,” Virginia Energy wrote. “Environmental regulations were also not in place to properly reclaim this material so the spoil that resulted from mining was left in place.”

The mine was also the site of a deadly explosion in 1867, killing seventy workers in an open-pit collapse.

“It is believed the injury to the property is slight,” a company representative wrote at the time. “But it is feared the loss of life is considerable.”

The man goes on to blame the disaster on one of the dead workers, and then bemoans the surviving workers unwillingness to descend into the pit to extinguish an ongoing fire.