One of the most serious problems of the coal mining industry is the presence of huge amount of waste causing a great damage to the environment. Pollution of air, water, changes in the composition of the soil layer lead to the degradation of flora and fauna in the zone of influence of the coal-mining enterprises, threaten the health and life of people. Sharp increase in the number of hazardous and harmful factors occurs at emergence of fires at the mining enterprises. Significant hazard is represented by the fires occurring on the rock dumps of the sections, mines and coal washing plants. Coal-bearing rocks are able to be oxidized by air oxygen, which can cause the development of rock spontaneous combustion. The following can intensify the process of spontaneous combustion: heat sources emerging during blasting operations, transportation of rocks in dumping trucks with heating of the truck dump body by heating engine exhaust gases.
The results are given related to the investigation of the parameters of places of spontaneous combustion at two surface dumps. To measure the rock temperature, Testo 880-3 thermal imager was used, which allows to remotely determine the surface temperature in the range from 0 to 350 °C, and ITP-5 contact thermometer submerged to a depth to 1,5 m and measuring the temperature in the range from –40 to + 800 °C. The composition of gases above the surface and in the upper rock layer at a depth of 0,5 m was determined by a portable gas analyzer. The measurement results showed that the areas of endogenous fires can reach hundreds of thousands square meters. Fires have many places at the sides of the dumps, on elevated surface areas and in areas with high air permeability. Temperature of some fire places reaches 500–600 °C. Concentration of carbon monoxide in the surface layer reaches 0,4 %. The analysis is given concerning the efficiency of application of various ways of suppression of the fire bank. Active method requires the supply of big amount of water and does not eliminate preservation of the heated volumes, which can result in a repeated fire. Passive method of extinguishing involves application of insulation layer of clay on the place of spontaneous combustion that leads to its drying and cracking with the resumption of air inflow to the fire places. The most effective is the combined method of extinguishing, which involves decrease of temperature by the refrigerant with subsequent application of the insulating layer on the surface of the dump.

One of the most serious problems of the coal mining industry is the presence of huge amount of waste causing a great damage to the environment. Pollution of air, water, changes in the composition of the soil layer lead to the degradation of flora and fauna in the zone of influence of the coal-mining enterprises, threaten the health and life of people. Sharp increase in the number of hazardous and harmful factors occurs at emergence of fires at the mining enterprises. Significant hazard is represented by the fires occurring on the rock dumps of the sections, mines and coal washing plants. Coal-bearing rocks are able to be oxidized by air oxygen, which can cause the development of rock spontaneous combustion. The following can intensify the process of spontaneous combustion: heat sources emerging during blasting operations, transportation of rocks in dumping trucks with heating of the truck dump body by heating engine exhaust gases.
The results are given related to the investigation of the parameters of places of spontaneous combustion at two surface dumps. To measure the rock temperature, Testo 880-3 thermal imager was used, which allows to remotely determine the surface temperature in the range from 0 to 350 °C, and ITP-5 contact thermometer submerged to a depth to 1,5 m and measuring the temperature in the range from –40 to + 800 °C. The composition of gases above the surface and in the upper rock layer at a depth of 0,5 m was determined by a portable gas analyzer. The measurement results showed that the areas of endogenous fires can reach hundreds of thousands square meters. Fires have many places at the sides of the dumps, on elevated surface areas and in areas with high air permeability. Temperature of some fire places reaches 500–600 °C. Concentration of carbon monoxide in the surface layer reaches 0,4 %. The analysis is given concerning the efficiency of application of various ways of suppression of the fire bank. Active method requires the supply of big amount of water and does not eliminate preservation of the heated volumes, which can result in a repeated fire. Passive method of extinguishing involves application of insulation layer of clay on the place of spontaneous combustion that leads to its drying and cracking with the resumption of air inflow to the fire places. The most effective is the combined method of extinguishing, which involves decrease of temperature by the refrigerant with subsequent application of the insulating layer on the surface of the dump.