Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a plurality of fuel cell stacks, a plurality of reformers, and a plurality of combustors. Each reformer is adapted to reform a hydrocarbon fuel to a hydrogen containing reaction product and to provide the reaction product to at least one of the plurality of the fuel cell stacks. Each combustor is thermally integrated with at least one of the plurality of the reformers. The system also includes an independent fuel feed conduit provided into each combustor and one or more control devices adapted to independently control an amount of fuel being provided to each combustor through each fuel feed conduit to independently control a temperature of each combustor.