Centralia - Columbia County, Pennsylvania
Many stories have surfaced as to what happened in the summer of
1962. Of the many versions of the original cause of the
Centralia Mine Fire probably the most accurate cause of the fire was an account that the fire started in a garbage
dump over an open coal seam in May of 1962.
The fire was reported and
doused by the local fire company and despite the fire, Centralia
council had continued to allow dumping in the pit.
It seemed to be quenched at the time, but then re-erupted several
times. Then it was discovered to the horror of the town that the
fire actually had continued underground, through
an opening into the coal mines that cris-crossed under the streets
of Centralia PA. |
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Soon after the fire was reported to have moved under ground, the first bid to extinguish the fire was
$175.
It might have ended there. ...but it didn't.
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 In July of 1962, the Department of Environmental Resources
started to monitor the fire. Boreholes were drilled to check to extent and
the temperature of the fire. Some thought they also provided an natural
draft which helped combustion. Gas monitors were also installed in most homes in
the area above the hottest fire (the impact area). |
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 On
May 22, 1969 the first three families were moved from Centralia. A
trench was dug north of the Odd Fellows Cemetery where fly ash and clay seals
were used in am attempt to put out the fire. According to Tony Gaughan
(quoted in "Slow Burn"), if the trench had been dug in three shifts per day
instead of one and if they had worked through the Labor Day holiday, the fire
would have been contained. He said the project was $50,000 short of
completion.
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In
1980, the U.S. Bureau of Mines "Red Book" said, "The Centralia mine fire has not
been extinguished and has not been controlled." In the year twenty-seven
more families were moved at a price that was comparatively less than later
buy-outs. |
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 On February 14, 1981, the ground collapsed under Todd Domboski. A hole
about 4 feet in diameter and roughly 150 feet deep had opened under him.
He clung to exposed tree roots and was pulled to safety by his cousin. The
heat or the carbon monoxide in the breach would have been sufficient to kill him
instantly if he had gone just a little deeper. This incident provoked the first
national media attention. |
 By 1983, the government said the fire was advancing on three or
four fronts. Proposed trenching of the area might cost as much as $660
million with no guarantee of success. One of the larger trenches would
have bisected the town roughly from east to west. A government buy-out was
proposed instead of the trenching and there
was a referendum held. The homeowners voted to accept the buy-out 345 to
200. Only those whose names were on the deeds could vote. From 1962
to 1984, $7 million had been spent. In November of 1983, $42 million was
voted for the buy-out. |
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 In 1983, there was fire under about 350 surface acres. By
1991, this area had been increased by about three-quarters. Worst case
scenario would be about 3700 acres and possibly a hundred years. Finally
26 homes along Route 61 west of town were bought in April of 1991. There
were no further plans to fight the fire. The population of Centralia
as of 4/18/97 was 44 people and has dwindled since. There are just a
few scattered homes today remaining in the town along with the borough hall.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania owns the remaining homes. The monetary
value of each property is in escrow or tied up in the legal system. Until
the remaining people move, the future of this town is unknown. The State
is being very lenient at this time. The State owns the homes but the
remaining people are still paying the property taxes on the houses.
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