Centralia, Pennsylvania Mine Fire: Past and Present

Note from the Author: In April 2020, the closed portion of Route 61(aka Graffiti Highway) in Centralia was covered in dirt. The owners of the property decided to take this step after continuous ATV accidents, injuries, fires, and vandalism rose significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

            Centralia, Pennsylvania is located in Columbia County, in the east central portion of Pennsylvania. Centralia was a town built around the coal industry, until a fire started in an underground mine. Today, Centralia is home to only several people, an important location for recent history, and has a haunting appeal to tourists. The most important lesson to learn from Centralia is how simple negligence can have a devastating effect on a community and the environment.

            Since the beginning of the 1900s Centralia has had a somber history. The town faced devastating effects of fires, the Spanish influenza, and the scandalous activities of the Irish organization called the Molly Maguires. According to Deryl B. Johnson in Images of America: Centralia, one of the worst plane crashes to take place before 1950 also occurred just outside of Centralia.[1] Joan Quigley in Pictures: Centralia Mine Fire, at 50, Still Burns with Meaning noted that Centralia is most famously known for its underground mine fire, which is considered to be the worst mine fire in the United States.[2]

            Centralia was once a booming coal town, incorporated in the 1840s, that grew into a large community. Jon Guss in Inferno: The Centralia Mine Fire suggested that Centralia’s peak population was in the 1890s, with an estimated population over 2,500 before its decline.[3] The town was filled with homes, businesses, churches, and bars, until one fateful day in 1962 when events took place that drastically changed the town forever. A mine fire began in the Mammoth Vein of anthracite coal and it is estimated that it could continue to burn for a thousand years.[4]

            There are many speculations as to what caused the fire in Centralia, but there is one theory that is widely acknowledged. The fire sparked during an annual trash burning on Memorial Day weekend due to human error. Robert H. Nelson in Devastation by Degrees stated that a coal company left garbage burning over an abandoned mine shaft.[5] No immediate action was taken to put out the fire, because of the inability to predict the rate of speed of the spreading fire and finances for the project to put it out.[6]

            Greater attempts to extinguish the underground fire were not taken, until it had become a health and safety concern. A. T. McPhee in Fire Down Below reported that the fire could not only cause carbon monoxide poisoning, but also ground cave ins.[7] In 1981, media attention was drawn to the town when a twelve-year-old boy was rescued after he fell into a pit caused by a cave in.[8] The fire only continued to expand.

            The townspeople and government officials tried to come up with solutions to avoid the growing hazardous situation. According to Johnson by 1984 approximately seven million dollars was spent on efforts to stop the fire.[9] The fire only continued to extend into more seams. The resulting agreement was a forty-two million dollar buy out, giving families the money to start somewhere new.[10] Not everyone chose to leave the town, many decided to remain in their homes.

            Over the years more people have abandoned the town and more structures were demolished. Centralia, once home to thousands of people, became a ghost town. Only a few houses and residents remain in the town. The streets that were once lined with structures remain, but where the structures once stood wilderness has found its new home.

            Since the 1980s, Centralia has been removed from most state and national maps. There have been many discussions about trying to put out the fire to reclaim the mines. Several residents remained in their homes and fought against eminent domain.[11] In October 2013, approximately eight remaining residents won a court battle and were legally able to remain in the homes.[12] They fought to protect the homes that they hold dear, despite any health concerns.

            Centralia has become the center of attention for people both domestically and internationally. Many books and articles have been written about the town’s history. Centralia is often highlighted on websites featuring top abandoned towns and scariest places. Centralia has helped to peak creativity for artists, photographers, musicians, and writers. The town was even used as inspiration for the movie adaptation of the video game Silent Hill.[13]

            Today, Centralia is a hotspot for parties, off-roading, tourists, and those who like scenic walks. Cars and tour buses are often seen pulled off on one of the abandoned roads. Many people stop to take in the sights, remember Centralia’s history, or to observe the land ravaged by fire. There are signs posted by different government agencies warning of the dangers of walking on the land.

            One of the popular spots for tourists to walk is down the closed section of State Route 61, where the highway’s asphalt has shifted and buckled from the heat below. Visitors walk around the portion of the cemetery that remains. Others hike up the hill that overlooks the town where you can view road grids of the former town. The air smells of sulfur and steam raises from vents and cracks on the surface.    
            Each season in Centralia has its own haunting beauty. During winter, snow sits atop birch trees and blackened logs as the warmed ground remains damp. Spring brings rains that create a creepy feel as an abundance of steam raises from the dampened ground. During summer, the surroundings come alive with beautiful green plant life. Autumn brings mountains full of beautiful colored trees that surround the barren former town.

            To many people Centralia is a place of sadness and memories of what once was. To others the former town is a place of inspiration and has a strange magnificence. Either way, Centralia will be remembered for its past, and the effects of a continuing underground fire. The fascination with the mine fire will always beckon people who are curious enough to venture into the area despite the dangers. One question remains, how long will it be before the government takes control of the fire and reclaims the mine?

                                                                                                                    

ENDNOTES

---

[1] Deryl B. Johnson, Images of America: Centralia (Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004), 9.

[2] Joan Quigley, “Pictures: Centralia Mine Fire, at 50, Still Burns with Meaning,” National Geographic Daily News, last modified January 8, 2013. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/01/pictures/130108-centralia-mine-fire/

[3] Jon Guss, “Inferno: The Centralia Mine Fire,” Pennsylvania Center for the Book, accessed December 12, 2013. http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/CentraliaMineFire.html

[4] Johnson, Images of America: Centralia, 100.

[5] Robert H. Nelson, “Devastation by Degrees,” Wall Street Journal (2007): D.6. ProQuest.

[6] Guss, “Inferno: The Centralia Mine Fire.”

[7] A. T. McPhee, “Fire Down Below,” Current Science 88, no. 4 (2002): 8-9. ProQuest.

[8] Nelson, “Devastation by Degrees.” D.6.

[9] Johnson, Images of America: Centralia, 99.

[10] Ibid., 99.

[11] John E. Usalis, “Documentarian Takes on the Tale of Centralia,” Republicanandherald.com, last modified November 27, 2013. http://republicanherald.com/news/documentarian-takes-on-the-tale-of-centralia-1.1592282

[12] Ibid.

[13] Luis Lebron, “Centralia, Pennsylvania, the True Silent Hill,” Examiner, last modified August 4, 2010. http://www.examiner.com/article/centralia-pennsylvania-the-true-silent-hill

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Guss, Jon. “Inferno: The Centralia Mine Fire.” Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Accessed December 12, 2013. http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/CentraliaMineFire.html

Johnson, Deryl B. Images of America: Centralia. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004.

Lebron, Luis. “Centralia, Pennsylvania, the True Silent Hill.” Examiner. Last modified August 4, 2010. http://www.examiner.com/article/centralia-pennsylvania-the-true-silent-hill

McPhee, A. T. “Fire Down Below.” Current Science 88, no. 4 (2002): 8-9. ProQuest.

Nelson, Robert H. “Devastation by Degrees.” Wall Street Journal (2007): D.6. ProQuest.

Quigley, Joan. “Pictures: Centralia Mine Fire, at 50, Still Burns with Meaning.” National Geographic Daily News. Last modified January 8, 2013. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/01/pictures/130108-centralia-mine-fire/

Usalis, John E. “Documentarian Takes on the Tale of Centralia.” Republicanandherald.com. Last modified November 27, 2013. http://republicanherald.com/news/documentarian-takes-on-the-tale-of-centralia-1.1592282