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Smoke rising from a vent feeding the coal fire, which is expected to burn for another 250 years

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Category Fiery Wonders, Ghost Towns, Disaster Areas

Though its exact cause has been disputed, the fire underneath Centralia, Pennsylvania ignited sometime in 1962 and has been burning ever since.

The town sits on top of a rich vein of coal, and the fire has defied every attempt to extinguish it. National awareness of Centralia's unending environmental catastrophe came in 1981 when a 12-year-old boy fell into a 150-foot hole that suddenly appeared in his back yard. Most residents were relocated in 1984, and in 1992 the entire town was condemned. Most buildings were torn down, creating the Centralia that can still be seen today: a network of streets running through empty fields and, increasingly, new growth forest. As of 2007, Centralia had nine residents.

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• Address Centralia, Pennsylvania, 17921, United States

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania#1948_plane_crash

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Comments

• Anonymous March 9, 2010
  Recent Centralia news: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100309/ap_on_re_us/us_centralia_s_final_days_suit
• Anonymous September 22, 2009
  Wow it must be quite eerie to walk the streets were the town once stood, it's been literally wiped off the face of the Earth. I wonder how environmentally harmful the fire is considering it has been burning for nearly 50 years and potentially has another 250 to go. <a href="http://www.rick-morgan.com/">Rick</a>
• Anonymous July 20, 2009
  From what I was reading during my recent trip to Centralia and the surrounding region, there are no fatalities attributed to the mine fire (which would include sink holes opening up underneath jeeps). The closest accident was the kid who had a sinkhole open up underneath him, but his friend rescued him. That was what prompted the governmental buyout of property in the 80s.
• Anonymous July 12, 2009
  This is not a good place to visit. About 20 year ago two young couples went off-road in a Jeep when the ground opened up underneath them. Their were never recovered. But if you simply must see it for yourself go when there is a lot of snow on the ground. Don't step anywhere near the hot spots were the snow has melted.
• Bats July 1, 2009
  Reminds me of that movie with Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd, and Demi Moore. Movies name is "Nothing But Trouble" It is one funny movie. <a href="http://www.vamoosevarmint.com">bat removal</a>
• Anonymous June 22, 2009
  Welcome to Silent Hill. >_>
• Anonymous June 2, 2009
  The Google Maps satellite image is haunting: empty dirt lots where houses should be.