Summary
Highlights
A fire has been burning for 60 years under Centralia, Pennsylvania, causing structural damage and releasing toxic gases. This forced the abandonment of what was once a thriving mining town.
In 1962, a controlled burn of a local garbage dump, located near an abandoned strip mine, is theorized to have ignited an exposed coal seam. The fire then spread into the labyrinth of mine shafts. Initial efforts by the state and federal government to extinguish it, costing $3.3 million, failed and in some cases, fueled the fire with more oxygen.
Initially, the fire's surface effects were minimal, with steam rising being the most noticeable sign. However, escalating concerns arose when a gas station owner discovered extremely high fuel tank temperatures in 1979. A critical incident in 1981 involved a 12-year-old boy, Todd Damasi, who fell into a sinkhole emitting hot toxic gases, barely escaping. This event intensified residents' concerns, leading some to install carbon monoxide monitors or use canaries to check air quality.
In 1983, the estimated cost to extinguish the fire was over $663 million. Congress approved a $42 million fund for relocating the town's population. Most residents accepted buyouts, leading to the demolition of over 500 structures by 1990 and a population drop from 1500 to 63. Although the state condemned remaining homes, a handful of residents won the right to stay until 2013.
Today, Centralia is a ghost town with only five homes and a firehouse remaining. Old neighborhoods are now empty lots, and a section of Route 61, damaged by steaming fissures, was closed and later buried to deter trespassers. All efforts to extinguish the fire have been abandoned, and it continues to burn. Tourists still visit but are warned by the Department of Environmental Protection about toxic air and ground collapse. The fire is predicted to smolder for another 250 years before running out of fuel.