Experts are still trying to determine the cause of flames that shot out of a hole in the ground in Midway, Arkansas, last month.
The fire in the hole seemingly erupted spontaneously, shooting out flames of up to 12 feet high.
Fire chief Donald Tucker responded to the early morning emergency call on September 17.
He told the Springfield News-Leader what he saw when he got to the scene:
“When I got there, there were flames 8 or 9 feet high shooting out of a hole about 2 feet in diameter. It burned that way for 30 to 45 minutes before it went out.”
Tucker told Motherboard that although news reports have said the flames initially reached 12 feet high, he never saw them get to that level. The fire burned red-orange, at about two feet in diameter, Tucker said.
Why didn’t Tucker take pictures of the fire? “With a fire like that, you don’t know what it is, so you don’t put yourself in danger,” he told Motherboard.
Apparently, the mysterious fire somehow extinguished itself.
Before the fire retreated into the hole, it shrunk to a flame about waist high for a few minutes, Tucker said:
“Then it just went down the hole and went out. For a little bit, there was just a little bit of glow of fire down in the hole.”
Mickey Pendergrass, the county judge in Baxter County, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that officials are still investigating the mysterious Midway hole, but one possible suspect has been cleared:
“As far as the spiritual Satan goes, we’ve ruled that out. He didn’t come up and stick his pitchfork in the ground and blow that hole out.”
Good to know.
The volleyball-sized hole has been there for at least 10 years, according to a man who used to mow the grass on the private property along Arkansas 5.
“It’s kind of like an old groundhog hole, burrow, or armadillo’s,” Pendergrass said. “But it’s been there a long time.”
What caused the fire remains a mystery, however.
So far, the following possible causes of the fire have been ruled out:
- Meteorite
- Lighting strike
- Natural gas
- Utility-related problem
- Leaking gasoline or propane tanks
- The Devil
Could someone have started the fire intentionally? It is possible, Pendergrass said:
“What kind of fuel did they use to make it so clean and no soot and no damage? And what was used to strike the fire to start with? There are just too many questions for it not to have been done on purpose, whether it was for fun or for giggles. Somebody will talk someday and have to brag about it, and then we’ll find out who did it.”
Soil samples were taken from the hole, and officials hope that analysis will provide clues. If gasoline or anything else was put in the hole, or if groundwater contamination caused the fire, the soil should help experts determine that.
It is possible, however, that we will never know what caused the hole to burst into flame.
“I’ve never seen it before. I hope I never see it again,” Tucker said. “What it was, I have no idea.”
There is one other well-known flaming a-hole from Arkansas.
“Apparently, the mysterious fire somehow extinguished itself.”
Natural gas (methane pocket). Burned itself out. 🙂
DK
I agree. In effect and earth fart.
That “Mysterious Flaming Hole” is just Michael Moore bending over lighting his farts.
It more than likely was not natural gas. The flame was the wrong color. Natural gas and propane burn with a blue flame. Witnesses described the flame as a bright orange color. Even if the methane was highly contaminated which could have made the flame color orange, it would have produced soot in the smoke. The witnesses saw no soot and the flame was bright orange. I work as firefighter, and the methane answer does not hold a lot of credibility given the two things I just mentioned.
Hallowe’en approaches, so look out, Chappaqua! Hopefully, that hole will extinguish itself soon, too, cackling madly all the while. };^D
It’s really no mystery, home owner had varmints living in the hole. Poured flammable liquid and set on fire. Then came to realize that they cannot admit openly for fear of PETA outrage.
My first thought – look for the bones from ‘accidental’ Arkancides from when Clinton was governor. Gases must’ve been accumulating since then and finally an ignition source occurred.
We don’t know for sure the cause of the fire, but the intended result will be tourism.
Clinton crack pipe?
Miniature volcano?
They are wrong, it is Satan farting before he finishes shitting on humanity?
_. 🦉.
_
B, ROTFLMAO! “Clinton Crackpipe”. Damn good one!
I confess.
It was me + freeze dried chile Mac+ case of beer and my new wind proof lighter.
Ah, good times
My Dad lives only 5 miles from where this occurred. He told me everyone in the area is freaked out over it.
I hope he doesn’t go any nearer to it.
Who knows, it may actually lead to hell, as the world is headed there quickly.
Menzo, wouldn’t it be nice to stuff some libturds, muslim scum, etc. into that hole?
Very nice DR
We need to throw a dimocrap into that hole to appease the fire gods.
They’d spit the son of a bitches back out to us.
methane…..nothing here. move on please.
No signs of that so far.
Pelozi or Feinstein passing gas.!!!!
Historically, buried tires have been known to spontaneously combust and then smolder for years. It’s a plausible explanation.
No tires in this hole, it’s not a very large hole anyway and burning tires have a distinctive odor and produce a very sooty black smoke.
More likely it was something put or disposed of in the ditch it drains into, all sorts of things could cause that.
Naw we always burn the tires first and use a backhoe and bury the wire and black sooty burnt rubber. Less work By burning them first it don’t require that big of a hole. The best day to have big tire kill is on Earth Day LOL.
Time for a backhoe. Dig the damn hole out and see what is there.
Arkansas is the 3rd largest Crystal producer in the world. Also home to the Alotian Golf Club.
We reciently had a small earthquake. Its possible some bedrock cracked letting natural gas escape and travel until it came to this location. and something ignited it. Most likely a human. There is plenty of natural gas in Arkansas. Some places it gets in the water wells and comes out of the household faucets and can be set on fire.
A few miles west there is a town named Gassville. To the south in cleberne county there are hundreds of natural gas wells and some fracking has been done. Its a earth fart that ignited. Its about a 100 miles from my location.
Old Guy
My thought was if they weren’t faking in that area before they will be looking now. was that former coal country?
There isn’t any coal mining ever done there. However not to far west there is a town named Coal Hill. There was a natural gad boom here a decade ago. So the state legislature got greedy and raised the severance taxes on Natural Gas a great amount. The drilling stopped overnite. And they quit fracking & pumping just as fast. The big companys own most of the mineral rights (We refused to sell ours) so nobody else can come in. They just resumed pipelining natural gas from Oklahoma. Zero % of a high severance tax is much less than 100% of the old tax rate. So that natural gas is building pressure. They cracked the rock and aint pumping. Maybe we will get a real big KABOOM!!!
Old Guy, I’ll be coming back over there possible next weekend to check up on my Dad. Then the last weekend of this month I’m heading back to north GA for about a month.
Flash! Chinese wonder weapon shot through the earth’s core! Defense contractors ask Pentagon to ask Congress for $27 billion to study!
Well you know its NOT a Clinton leak because its not plugged by at least one two bullet suicide.
Anyone ever heard of a V.O.L.C.A.N.O.? You know, those holes in the ground that spew fire?
Ask a child to name an example of fire coming from the ground. Adults, you will have to look it up.
So news worthy.
=maxie waters droppinz…..
They found Hillary’s Vagina!