Centralia Pennsylvania

Centralia is a town in Central Pennsylvania that has been "on fire" for approximately 45 years. During a very cold visit to the town yesterday we took some photos, including a walk up the old highway out of town that has been since closed and rerouted. I posted these as seperate posts, so you will not see the photos in this one post, but rather the posts which preceded it.

In the 1940's, as World War II ground along, resources were in short supply, and primarily going to support the war effort. Many of the small coal mining town residents dug illegal mines to get coal for themselves or others. In the early 60's (some say 1962) someone burning trash managed to ignite one of these exposed seams of coal, and it's been burning ever since, despite many efforts to extinquish it.

Over the years the underground fires have spread over some space, and the state offered a buyout to the residents of Centralia to just move, rather than have to deal with the dangers presented not only by the possibility of caveins, but also the constant, ever-present fumes of smoke and steam that come up out of the ground.

On this winter day, the steam coming up out of the ground has condensed in places, especcially on nearby vegetation, and the very cold air has frozen it. And for the first time we 'explored' the old abandoned highway, with it's cracks and smoke, too.