Are there any peat bogs in the area? Where i come from they are not uncommon and have been known to catch fire and knowing the local people here who will burn anything at the drop of a hat.Once a peat bog catches fire they are very hard to extinguish and quite often it takes a large downpour to do that.

Peat Bogs...? Here in Thailand...? Excuse me...?

While peat bogs tend to conjure up images of Ireland and northern Europe, there are vast areas of Kalimantan and Sumatra covered by peat bogs, sadly being rapidly exploited and the scene of fires that have burnt since 1997 doing little for global warming.

There are lignite mines just across the Mekong in Sayaburi, Laos and another near Lampang. Lignite is just a step up from peat so it is quite possible that there is peat here in Thailand.

"....locals have been advised to spray water on the ground to reduce the heat."

They should also piss on it, or await the next flood, for all the use it would be.

There is a similar situation in the Hunter Valley, NSW, just outside the small town of Wingen, famous for its total lack of English residents for fear of being labelled Wingen Pommies. I remember first seeing it circa 1957, and it is still burning.

That is Sulfur burning, has been burning for hundred of years maybe thousands, it is a hill on the right if travelling north on the New England Highway or Railway just near Wingen, back in the fiftys and Sixtys it was easy to see but not now, maybe be going out.

Sulphur? I thought it was an exposed coal seam. Plenty of coal in the HV, but I don't recall any free Sulphur.

No oxygen, no fire. So where does the oxygen come from? Does any guru know?

Oxygen is from atmosphere. Methane / coal seam gas is from underground organic matter.

The fire is where they 'meet'.

Means of ignition? My understand is that three elements are required for a fire, Fuel, Heat and Oxygen. Spontaneous combustion works for me. If one of the three elements is missing then there cannot be a fire.

Coal slowly combusts when exposed to air and will start to burn in a loose heap. Power Station coal stacks are compressed with heavy 'dozers to prevent this happening, and regularly scanned with an infra-red detector to pick up hot spots for extra compression.

Are there any peat bogs in the area? Where i come from they are not uncommon and have been known to catch fire and knowing the local people here who will burn anything at the drop of a hat.Once a peat bog catches fire they are very hard to extinguish and quite often it takes a large downpour to do that.

Peat Bogs...? Here in Thailand...? Excuse me...?

While peat bogs tend to conjure up images of Ireland and northern Europe, there are vast areas of Kalimantan and Sumatra covered by peat bogs, sadly being rapidly exploited and the scene of fires that have burnt since 1997 doing little for global warming.

There are lignite mines just across the Mekong in Sayaburi, Laos and another near Lampang. Lignite is just a step up from peat so it is quite possible that there is peat here in Thailand.

Hey thanks...learned something new then...I really had no idea...

OMG ! what idiots some people are, fancy walking out to that crater edge and not having any idea how thick the crust is that you are walking on. Downright <deleted> numbskulls.

exploding reinforced-steel ?

Did you not know? And at 40 degrees very dangerous. Every Thai builder knows that. That is why they use as little rebar as possible in concrete.

HELL ! better warn all builders and construction companies in tropical Australia quickly !