In 1962, a fire reached abandoned coal workings beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania. Attempts to stop it failed. Eventually, most of the town disappeared.
It Started With a Fire
Centralia was a small Pennsylvania coal town when a fire began in May 1962.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says the fire reportedly originated with the controlled burning of residential trash in an abandoned strip pit.
The problem?
The pit connected with coal-bearing material and abandoned mine workings underground.
The fire spread beneath the town.
They Tried to Stop It
Authorities attempted multiple approaches to control the fire.
They failed.
For years the underground blaze continued spreading.
Dangerous gases and unstable ground eventually made the problem impossible to ignore.
In 1981, a young boy narrowly escaped after the ground opened beneath him—one of the events that helped bring national attention to Centralia’s danger.
Moving the Town Was Cheaper
By the 1980s, the proposed cost of extinguishing the fire had become enormous.
Congress ultimately appropriated $42 million for the voluntary acquisition and relocation of affected residents and businesses. Hundreds of properties were acquired.
Most buildings were eventually demolished.
And the fire?
Pennsylvania still monitors it.
The state’s chronology continues to describe the mine fire as an ongoing hazard involving dangerous gases and possible ground collapse.
A town tried to get rid of trash.
Instead, it ended up with a fire beneath the ground that outlived most of the town itself.
History can be ugly.
But this? This was ridiculous.
Key Facts
- Event: Centralia Mine Fire
- Start: May 1962
- Location: Centralia, Pennsylvania
- Fuel: Underground coal workings
- Major relocation funding: 1984
- Federal relocation appropriation: $42 million
- Status: Fire continues to be monitored
