Australian coalmine has been burning for three weeks - PHOTO

Dramatic photographs have emerged of an out-of-control fire at Hazelwood open-cut coal mine, which has left the Victorian town of Morwell exposed to smoke and ash.The fire is burning over 400 hectares of land, with flames reaching between 20 and 50 metres high.Sick and elderly people are being urged to leave the town, amid mounting concern over the health risks associated with rising carbon monoxide levels.The Government is expected to make an announcement today on the recommended course of action for thousands of residents in Victoria's LaTrobe Valley who have been enveloped by a thick, smokey haze for the past three weeks after the coal mine blaze broke out.Fresh fears of potential landslides have emerged, as firefighters pour tens of thousands of water on the out-of-control fire at the mine pit. While firefighters do their best to contain the blaze, there are new concerns that the mine's walls may not be structurally sound with cracks opening up along the mine's southern walls. Vulnerable people such as the elderly, young children, pregnant women and anyone with respiratory conditions are being urged to leave the area.Emergency officials says that although an evacuation has not been declared, they are recommending people leave the area if they are affected by the smoke.On February 9 an arsonist lit a bushfire that spread to the site in Morwell, Victoria, leaving Hazelwood open-cut mine ablaze. Coal mine fires like this one are particularly hard to put out because they are difficult for firefighters to access underground.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az