This Mine Fire Has Been Burning For Over 50 Years - HISTORY.

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- Why was centralia abandoned

 

The smallest municipality in the Keystone State, Centralia, Pennsylvania , is a former mining community located about two hours northwest of Philadelphia. Records tell us it had 1, residents in the year Today, fewer than 10 people still live there. The U. Postal Service revoked Centralia's zip code in and the local portion of State Route 61 was permanently closed off nine years earlier.

We can't blame the area's decline on the usual socioeconomic suspects. Its problems run deeper — literally. Since at least , a coal-seam fire has been smoldering right below the town. No one knows exactly how it got started, but whatever set the thing off, this long-lived blaze isn't some kind of fluke. Naturally occurring coal deposits are called "seams" in the mining industry. Wherever such veins occur, coal-seam fires like the one under Centralia are apt to break out.

China's 3,mile 5,kilometer coal mining belt is notorious for its seam fires. So is the town of Jharia, India , where unwanted fires have claimed about 41 million tons or roughly 37 million metric tons of coal since Mines that don't provide "structural support" to keep the ground from collapsing likewise risk seam fire outbreaks. Granted, humans aren't always responsible.

Down in New South Wales, Australia, there's a famous coal seam under Mount Wingen that's been burning for 6, years straight.

Scientists think it was first ignited by an ancient brush fire or lightning strike. And coal doesn't need much encouragement to catch fire. Under the right circumstances, the material can actually light itself ablaze through spontaneous combustion. This is a problem even where coal is transported long distances in ships," says research geologist Allan Kolker in another email exchange.

By most accounts, Centralia's great fire began at a dump near the local Odd Fellows Cemetery. On Sunday, May 27, , this landfill was intentionally set ablaze , with six volunteer firefighters standing by. It was all part of a yearly cleanup effort the local government organized.

Controlled burns were a popular garbage-disposal technique back then — but things didn't always go according to plan. Perhaps this fire ran deeper into the trash than anybody realized. If so, it could've spread through the refuse and entered the nearest coal mine pit , with no one being the wiser. Then again, maybe the town government had nothing to do with it. Some have argued that a different garbage fire at the same site — lit by an unidentified truck driver — is what really sealed Centralia's fate.

Another less popular theory claims the coal-seam fire started all the way back in the Great Depression and went unextinguished for decades before the s gave it a new lease on life.

Regardless, the inferno made itself right at home. Sweeping through mine tunnels and coal seams, flames descended as far as feet According to a investigation , passageways underlying acres Alongside the carbon dioxide, she tells us methane and "pungent smelling" sulphur dioxide may also spew forth.

To this day, smoke rises from earth through fissures around Centralia. Meanwhile, the terrain has become perilously unstable over time. That's why Pennsylvania closed off 4, feet 1, meters of Route 61 in Subterranean pillars that held up the pavement were destroyed or weakened by the flames, making the roadway totally unsuitable for motorists.

Extinguishing efforts didn't pay off. Openings were sealed, trenches were dug and the mines were stuffed with noncombustible ashes, sands and crushed rocks. Nothing worked. The final holdouts have been granted permission to spend the rest of their lives in the town, as per a settlement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the state's Department of Environmental Protection, the fire might keep on raging for over years yet to come.

As bad as they can get, coal-seam fires aren't invincible. If a fire does start, taking Over the past odd years, Centralia has become an unlikely tourist destination. One former attraction was the abandoned stretch of Route Dubbed the "Graffiti Highway," it attracted masses of street artists who littered the pavement with a rainbow of cartoons and signatures.

However, in , the corporation which owns the undrivable road had it covered up with piles of dirt to dissuade visitors from swinging by during the COVID pandemic. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots.

Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Forces of Nature. Natural Disasters. By: Mark Mancini Jun 16, There's a Fire Down Below Naturally occurring coal deposits are called "seams" in the mining industry. A Sinking Feeling "Uncontrolled coal fires have all of the potential environmental impacts of burning coal for power generation, with none of the benefits," Kolker explains.

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Why was centralia abandoned.Centralia: The Ghost Town That Sits Atop an Inferno

 

This place has turned into a haven of graffiti artists, taggers and amateurs who like to spray paint penises everywhere. Old Highway 61 is slowly collapsing from the intense heat of the underground mine fire eroding the road underlayment and ultimately causing the stability of the land to begin to slump.

Throughout the years, government agencies have installed ventilation pipes to help monitor the progression of the mine fire. Yes, the mine fire started on May 27, and is still burning today. Estimates show there is enough coal for the fire to burn for years. Old Highway 61 is on private property, however tourist can simply walk around a dirt berm to access the Graffiti Highway.

Throughout the years, the fire has burned to a depth where the roadway is not hot enough to produce much steam. Silent hill being inspired by Centralia is only partially true. The video games themselves were not inspired by Centralia what so ever.

The town was abandoned in the games due to cults and other religious issues. Also, as of there are 6 people living there ever since Carl died in and his daughter Kathi moved in There are at my last count 7 structures standing in town.

The graffiti Highway is no more. The current owners of the strip completely covered it up and removed all traces of it. The side streets left in town are in a horrible state of disrepair right now full of major potholes and other issues. State Police now patrol the area, mainly concerning themselves with stopping people from trespassing on the now covered graffiti Highway and stopping people from dumping garbage.

The town at night is very dark unless you are on locust or centre st which are the main roads. The street lights on the side streets that are still in existence seem to have burned out or stopped working because they no longer shine at night.

It basically now just resembles a wooded area with some houses and cemeteries. Nothing fantastic anymore. Your email address will not be published. You may use these HTML tags and attributes:. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Toggle navigation.

Can I visit Centralia? Please be respectful of those residents who have chosen to remain in the town. Outside an abandoned trailer in Centralia PA. Inside an abandoned trailer in Centralia Pennsylvania.

Centralia is full of abandoned streets and curbs. An abandoned lot with a decaying wall in Centralia PA. Abandoned house in Centralia PA.

Inside an abandoned home in Centralia Pennsylvania. Inside an abandoned home in Centralia PA. Coal miner wash house along Route 61 near Centralia in This was later torn down. Tags: abandoned Centralia Pennsylvania ghost town photos. Where are the abandoned house and trailer located? The wash house near Byrnesville was torn down about 4 or 5 years ago. Now I wish I had. Actually Shenandoah is a very depressing town to drive through.

It is overrun with abandoned buildings, many collapsing. Recently an arsonist struck there, torching several empty buildings. This is the most likely reason nearly all the vacant buildings in Centralia were razed.

The torching of the Speed Spot is a prime example. I just wonder what would have happened if Pennsylvania had not exercised the eminent domain option.

Would Centralia have eventually turned into what Shenandoah looks like now? Would relatives of Centralians that passed on sold the properties to absentee landlords or became absentee landlords themselves?

Centralia with its few remaining homes and residents or Shenandoah with its definite blight of a crumbling economy and homes. You will see what I am talking about. Thanks for the suggestion about visiting Shenandoah! We might do an article about the town and its history. The trailer is beside the actual church. I went through there the first time last July and could not believe it. That shows that tenants and vacancies are about than half the properties. Figure in that some of those owned properties are also vacant..

That is a sign that Shenandoah has seen better days. They have a web site for people that want to bring it back to the glory days.

It looks like theres a face in the window of the trailer. It looks like a woman with burns on her face. Also there is a small building to the right when you pass the fire station. Once you walk down the road straight for awhile look to your right. Are there any places left at all really trying to visit this year hopping to see something before its all gone!! I was actually just up there this past week. My friends and I go up a lot.

This town is really cool to come up and visit. But if you go up during the night beware some guy likes to drive around in a Ford I plan on making another trip there to explore. Every-time we go up there is more and more to see. People thing there is only one graveyard to your left when you first come into Centralia. I actually just discovered that this past weekend. Two abandon places I know of currently are the trailer beside the Church over looking the town. Then another is to your right just up the road from the fire-station.

North Street is with the abandon building. Then the actual church is on Center Street and the trailer is just behind the church. And if you go into the graveyard behind the church there for some reason is an actual working bath tub. Just one there again last weekend crazy night…crazy. We got chased away 2 times. One we were at the Abandon Drive thru theater and something started to legit run at us.

Then the second time we were going to the church when a truck drove up this dirt bath then back down towards us. Easily had to be going 50 then we drove away we had to be going 60 or 70 driving away from this guy. Once we got around one turn that left the town the person stopped and turned around…. Was leaving the buildings dangerous or something because of the fire?