| Steam Burns |
| Click the link below to see the documentary that got me interested in centralia Centralia: Tragedy of a Town By Garrett Rhodes |
The ruins of Centralia Pennsylvania no longer exists on some maps. The story began sometime in
1962 along the outskirts of town when trash was burned in the pit of an abandoned strip mine, which
connected to a coal vein running near the surface. The burning trash caught the exposed vein of coal
on fire. The fire was thought to be extinguished but it apparently wasn't when it erupted in the pit a
few days later. Again the fire was doused with water for hours and thought to be out. But it wasn't.
The coal then began to burn underground. That was in 1962. For the next two decades, workers
battled the fire, flushing the mines with water and fly ash, excavated the burning material and dug
trenches, backfilled, drilling again and again in an attempt to find the boundaries of the fire and plan
to put the fire out or at least contain it. All efforts failed to do either as government officials delayed
to take any real action to save the village. By the early 1980s the fire had affected approximately 200
acres and homes had to be abandoned as carbon monoxide levels reached life threatening levels. An
engineering study concluded in 1983 that the fire could burn for another century or even more and
"could conceivably spread over an area of approximately 3,700 acres."
As time passed, each feeble attempt to do anything to stop the fire or help the residents of Centralia
would cost more and more due to the fires progression. Over 44 years and 40 million dollars later the
fire still burns through old coal mines and veins under the town and the surrounding hillsides on
several fronts. The fire, smoke, fumes and toxic gases that came up through the back yards,
basements and streets of Centralia literally ripped the town apart. Most of the homes were
condemned and residents were relocated over the years with grants from the federal government
although some die-hards refused to be bought out and some still remain in the town. Today Centralia
is a virtual ghost town with only a few remaining residents. As they continue to live in their beloved
homes now owned by the federal government, people pass every day along Route 61, most totally
unaware of the history surrounding them and the sad story of Centralia.
Studies have shown that if the fire is not contained it will continue to spread following the rich coal
deposits and eventually threaten the neighboring town of Ashland, less that two miles away. Many
people including former (and current) residents of Centralia insist that there is more to this story than
meets the eye. Some believe that the rich deposits of coal beneath the town itself is the reason for the
forced relocation of the towns people and to force the town to go defunct, giving up its mineral rights.
The stories around what is happening here vary depending on who you talk to or what you read.
What is certain is what has happened to this small community and the fact that Centralia as it one was
will never be again.
Taken from
http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/centralia.htm
1962 along the outskirts of town when trash was burned in the pit of an abandoned strip mine, which
connected to a coal vein running near the surface. The burning trash caught the exposed vein of coal
on fire. The fire was thought to be extinguished but it apparently wasn't when it erupted in the pit a
few days later. Again the fire was doused with water for hours and thought to be out. But it wasn't.
The coal then began to burn underground. That was in 1962. For the next two decades, workers
battled the fire, flushing the mines with water and fly ash, excavated the burning material and dug
trenches, backfilled, drilling again and again in an attempt to find the boundaries of the fire and plan
to put the fire out or at least contain it. All efforts failed to do either as government officials delayed
to take any real action to save the village. By the early 1980s the fire had affected approximately 200
acres and homes had to be abandoned as carbon monoxide levels reached life threatening levels. An
engineering study concluded in 1983 that the fire could burn for another century or even more and
"could conceivably spread over an area of approximately 3,700 acres."
As time passed, each feeble attempt to do anything to stop the fire or help the residents of Centralia
would cost more and more due to the fires progression. Over 44 years and 40 million dollars later the
fire still burns through old coal mines and veins under the town and the surrounding hillsides on
several fronts. The fire, smoke, fumes and toxic gases that came up through the back yards,
basements and streets of Centralia literally ripped the town apart. Most of the homes were
condemned and residents were relocated over the years with grants from the federal government
although some die-hards refused to be bought out and some still remain in the town. Today Centralia
is a virtual ghost town with only a few remaining residents. As they continue to live in their beloved
homes now owned by the federal government, people pass every day along Route 61, most totally
unaware of the history surrounding them and the sad story of Centralia.
Studies have shown that if the fire is not contained it will continue to spread following the rich coal
deposits and eventually threaten the neighboring town of Ashland, less that two miles away. Many
people including former (and current) residents of Centralia insist that there is more to this story than
meets the eye. Some believe that the rich deposits of coal beneath the town itself is the reason for the
forced relocation of the towns people and to force the town to go defunct, giving up its mineral rights.
The stories around what is happening here vary depending on who you talk to or what you read.
What is certain is what has happened to this small community and the fact that Centralia as it one was
will never be again.
Taken from
http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/centralia.htm
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