While this seems laughable, anybody who has experience knows the seriousness of a coal bunker / silo fire and how difficult they are to extinguish. Here's a pick of a coal pipe (about 20 inch diameter) with a (literally) red hot section due to a silo fire. The silo is above the pipe. The pipe discharges into the coal feeder which controls the rate of flow into the pulverizers on the floor below. The story tells of Howe the plant operators handled the fire (rather mishandled).
![](http://www.powermag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/CP_Coal-Silo-Fires_Rowland-Blinston.jpg)
Coal Silo Fires and Hot Spots: Extinguishing and Preventing Recurrence
This article is only 2-1/2 years old!