New York Post
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This Pennsylvania Town Has Been on FIRE for 60 Years With No End in Sight
Posted
May 27, 2026
Views
20,178
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370
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2.39%
May 27, 2026
20,178
370
112
2.39%
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5:14Now PlayingOn this day, 64 years ago, an underground fire ignited beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania and it continues burning over six decades later.
Centralia was developed around rich deposits of anthracite coal, the most carbon-dense form of the fossil fuel, making it very difficult to light. However, once lit, it is nearly impossible to put out.
As the town grew, so did its trash problem. When the trash piled up in landfills, they would initiate a controlled burn of the waste. However, when a controlled burn began on May 27th, 1962, the burning debris caused a hidden underground coal mine to ignite. This was the beginning of the end for Centralia.
The fire raged for nearly 20 years after several failed attempts to put it out. Then, on Valentine’s Day, 1981, things, literally, started to crack. On that cold winter day, 12-year-old Todd Domboski saw steam rising from his grandma’s backyard and went to investigate. As he approached the steam, the ground fell out beneath him, nearly swallowing the adolescent in a fiery mouth of burning coal and lethal fumes.
After the harrowing events of that day, the town could no longer ignore the growing fire. However, solutions to contain the fire were greatly expensive. Eventually, the US government decided to spend $42 million dollars on relocating the residents out of Centralia, with the majority of people settling in neighboring towns such as Ashland and Mount Carmel.
Now, 64 years and millions of dollars later, experts estimate that the fire could continue to burn for 250 years.
#pennsylvania #centralia #fire #ashland #mountcarmel
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