Ranchi, Jan. 19: A massive fire broke out today at a few abandoned CCL mines at Kujju in Ramgarh district, enveloping an area of at least 2sqkm in thick black smoke.

The flames, which local residents said rose as high as 50 feet and spread fear and panic in parts of Loha Gate several kilometres away, however, caused no loss of life. But sources in Central Coalfields said that coal deposits worth crores had been burnt out.

"An underground coal seam, identified as the 10th seam, which is approximately 35 feet in width, caught fire after it apparently came in contact with oxygen that might have seeped in through the many cracks underground," said an officer of the PSU, adding the company was not conducting any mining in the reserves.

CCL officials clarified that fire in the mines, at least eight of them spread across 200 metres, was not in any way related to the underground fire raging intermittently since 2009 at an area around 500 metres away. The underground fire had led to a cave-in on a section of NH-33 linking Ranchi and Hazaribagh.

However, eyewitnesses claimed that smoke had been emanating from the Kujju area for the past 10 days, but CCL officials paid no attention.

Officials from the director general of mine safety, along with Ramgarh sub-divisional officer Sangeeta Lal, visited the fire zone in the afternoon.

"We have started sealing off the fires by dumping overburden on the mouths (of the mines). No lives have been lost. Nor has there been any damage to property. Operations to control the underground fire are on in full swing. We expect to restore normalcy within the next two to three days," A. K. Choubey, CCL general manager of the Kujju area, told The Telegraph.

Ramgarh deputy commissioner Anjaneyulu. Dodde said CCL had launched all-out efforts to contain the fire at Kujju.

"We expect that the fires would be contained in the next two to three days," he said.

However, local residents were sceptical of the CCL's efforts. They pointed out that underground fires had been raging in the entire Kujju area for several years and that no concrete long-term measures were visible on the ground.

Dumping overburden on the fires might bring temporary respite though the raging fires required a comprehensive action plan, they said.

"If untamed, the fires might result in another cave-in on NH-33, around 800 meters away, and may even affect the Koderma-Ranchi railway line being laid a kilometre away," said a resident.