The leading theory today is that burning trash near an old mine entrance accidentally ignited the coal beneath. Once it ignited, the fire began to spread. Coal burns when carbon inside it combines with oxygen. The tunnels provided oxygen from the surface.
Though many theories exist regarding the start of the fire, the most commonly accepted is the dumping of hot ash into the Centralia Landfill, located in the remains of a strip mine inactive since the 1930s, or the result of firemen burning garbage before the Memorial Day of 1962.
The federal government announced in 1983 that it would cost too much and destroy too much of Centralia to dig out the fire. Congress then appropriated $42 million to relocate anyone who wanted to leave; the fire was allowed to burn.
Centralia (/sɛnˈtreɪliə/ sen-TRAY-li-ə) is a borough and near-ghost town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Its population declined from 1,000 in 1980 to five residents in 2020 because of a coal mine fire burning beneath the borough since 1962.
Coal was first mined in the Centralia area in 1842 and the Centralia Colliery was opened in 1862. In February 1866, Centralia Borough was incorporated. The Centralia Mine Fire has been burning in the abandoned deep mine workings of the Buck Mountain Coal Bed since May 1962.
In fact, you're officially not encouraged to go there at all. But you can do so, since those public roads still go through the ex-town and many of the former side streets are still navigable by car. And of course you can walk around.
At its current rate, it could continue to burn for over 250 years. Due to the fire, Centralia was mostly abandoned in the 1980s.
On March 25, 1947, the Centralia No. 5 coal mine exploded near the town of Centralia, Illinois, killing 111 people. The Mine Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor reported the explosion was caused when an underburdened shot or blown-out shot ignited coal dust.
Over the last two decades, many of Centralia's buildings have been torn down. However, there are still things to do in Centralia, PA. Driving over the mountains from nearby Ashland, you'll come over the crest of the hill to a marker that still welcomes you to the borough of Centralia.
Over 60 years ago, Centralia, Pennsylvania, was a bustling coal mining town, home to more than 1,000 people. Today, the once-thriving community is a smoldering expanse of overgrown streets, cracked pavements, and charred trees where streams of toxic gas spew into the air from hundreds of fissures in the ground.
CO2 (carbon dioxide) is a natural gas that we exhale when we breathe. In small amounts, it's harmless. But when you sleep in a closed room, especially during cooler months, CO₂ levels can rise quickly. This happens because doors and windows are often shut, and there is limited airflow to bring in fresh oxygen.
The World's Longest-Burning Manmade Fire Has Remained Alight Since 470 AD. In the heart of central Iran, a small fire has done something no power plant ever could: it's kept burning for more than 1,500 years.
It's 300 feet underground and 1,000 °F. Any water or snow that reaches that deep would instantly evaporate into steam. There isn't a shaft, the coal seam is on fire and isn't accessible. Smoke doesn't even escape anymore because the fire is too deep.
The Centralia fire probably got going in May 1962, when local sanitation workers began burning trash at a site over an old mine entrance just outside town, igniting the underlying coal. Over some 20 years, firefighters tried eight times to put it out. First they dug trenches, but the fire outpaced them.
Surprisingly, five residents still remain as of 2025, as they have reached an agreement with local officials to stay here until they pass away. For this reason, Centralia is not entirely a ghost town, and visitors can roam the streets to relive what once was a mining hub.
No, the Silent Hill video games aren't directly based on a single true story, but the movie heavily borrowed inspiration from the real-life ghost town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, which is abandoned due to an underground coal mine fire that's been burning since 1962, creating an eerie, foggy, cracked landscape. While the game creators aimed for a general small-town American horror atmosphere (with some Japanese influences like the name), the movie's writers specifically used Centralia's perpetual smoke, sinkholes, and eerie quiet as a blueprint for the town's look and feel, although the game's lore involves cults, demons, and psychological horror, not just a mine fire.
In short, there is nothing stopping visitors from driving into the borough, parking, and walking around. A majority of Centralia is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was acquired through the power of eminent domain in the early 1990s. In that sense, most of the land within the borough is public property.
Lacey Sitlinger The Centralia fire is not expected to stop burning anytime soon, with experts estimating it could continue for another 250 to 500 years or more. The fire is impossible to extinguish because it's too deep underground and is fueled by a massive coal deposit that is difficult to cut off from oxygen.
Yes, all 33 miners trapped in the San José mine collapse in Chile in 2010 survived, enduring 69 days underground before being miraculously rescued alive, one by one, in a globally televised event. Despite initial fears and immense hardship, they were found surprisingly healthy and later recovered from immediate issues like dental infections, though the ordeal left lasting psychological scars for many.
In 1962, an underground coal mine fire ignited beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania, and it's still burning today. Efforts to extinguish the fire failed, and by the 1980s, toxic gases and sinkholes forced most residents to leave. The government condemned the town, and today, it's a near ghost town.
Depending on how much oxygen could reach the fire, the flames under Centralia could burn as hot as 1,350 degrees Fahrenheit, and ground temperatures sometimes exceeded 900 F.
The Centralia Mine Fire is coal seam fire that has been burning underneath Centralia since at least May 27, 1962. The original cause of the fire is still a matter of debate. The fire is burning in underground mines at depths of up to 300 feet over an 8-mile stretch of 3,700 acres.
Found in Australia's New South Wales, this is the site of the world's oldest known coal fire that hasn't gone out for thousands of years. Most scientists believe the fire has been burning for at least 6,000 years, although some contend it's much older.