Spontaneous combustion events leading to thermal runaway and a fire or explosion in underground coal mines are low in frequency but can have severe consequences in terms of both fatalities and business losses. The propensity of coal seams to spontaneously combust and reach thermal runaway varies and is not fully understood. Recent fire events at Elk Creek Mine in Colorado and Deer Run Mine in Illinois and possibly the Soma Mine in Turkey are reminders that the spontaneous combustion risk remains insufficiently mitigated in some sectors of the coal mining industry. Coal mine regulations in the United States are minimal in addressing the spontaneous combustion risk in underground mines. As compared to other coal mining risks, the regulations offer minimal prescriptive solutions for managing this risk. In other countries where spontaneous combustion events have been more prevalent in occurrence including the loss of life and business, the regulations and accepted practices are more aggressive in addressing the risk. Findings from five years of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling conducted at Colorado School of Mines (CSM) under funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have shown that explosive gas zones can exist in a longwall gob in areas where the spontaneous combustion of coal could develop into an ignition source. This paper will summarize measures that have been collected from a leading practice survey for assessing and managing the spontaneous combustion risk. A deductive modeling approach will be presented that can assist mine management teams in their cost-benefit analysis of the extent of implementation of a management program for the risk. As a minimum, mine management teams must assess the risk of a spontaneous combustion event at their mine. Once technically informed regarding the propensity of their coal and the potential existence of contributing factors, the decision on how extensive a preventative program is required can be made. A major spontaneous combustion event is infrequent but the consequences can be devastating.