I have a couple of questions. Before humans became able to extinguish oil well fires suppose the following occurred: Oil from an underground source seeps to the ground level creating a small lake of oil. Lightning strikes the lake of oil. Would the oil ignite? Would the fire burn as long as there was still oil seeping to ground level? Has this ever happened before?
Penumbra, there are currently two types of fires burning right now which have been burning for decades, so the oil scenario has some merit:
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in Pennsylvania, their is a coal fire that has been burning below and near ground for decades. The whole town was relocated. I know it’s at least 20 years that the coal fire has been burning. Smoke rises up constantly.
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somewhere there has been a old tire fire that burned (is burning?) for years. Just hundreds of thousands of old tires and rubber smoldering for years.