Zombie Fires

Underneath our feet, the earth stores masses of organic matter like peat, coal, or methane, which are all extremely flammable. When conditions are right (or someone does something stupid), these masses can ignite and burn for years underground before we even know it. Even when we know about them, there is little we can do when the fuel seems unlimited and our efforts to fight these underground fires is quite limited. What's really going on with these underground "zombie fires" that spread beneath us? (via Damn Interesting)