The town of Centralia in the United States has been continuously burning for a full 61 years, and how and why it caught fire is a matter of great curiosity for everyone.
Centralia was established as a small coal mining town in 1866, with a population of two thousand at the time. Of course, in the beginning, it was just an ordinary place like any other city in the United States of America.
However, from May 27, 1962, it would no longer be remembered as an ordinary town; instead, it would become one of the most intriguing places in the world.
In May, the annual commemoration day events were scheduled to be held in the town. Centralia authorities had requested the removal of garbage from the trash pile for thorough cleaning.
The simplest and most common way to do this is by burning the garbage. However, this was not a very wise decision because the garbage was being dumped into empty mine shafts.
On the day before the commemoration events, garbage was burned in the empty mine shaft. However, there was still coal in the mine shaft.
On that day, while the garbage was burning in the mine shaft, the fire had already reached the labyrinthine tunnels and coal seams beneath Centralia.
The coal here, along with the garbage, started burning in a controlled manner, emitting heat, smoke, and deadly carbon monoxide. Despite the efforts of the people of Centralia to extinguish the fire, the desired result could not be achieved.
Later, firefighters stepped in. Crews sprayed water onto the underground flames and tried to suffocate the fire with clay. However, none of these methods proved to be a solution.
As time passed, various solutions were sought to prevent this massive fire, which was deeply entrenched in the depths of the earth. Between 1962 and 1978, a total of $3.3 million was spent, in today's currency, on efforts to control the situation. However, the measures taken proved to be ineffective.
By 1983, the U.S. Bureau of Mines reported that extinguishing the fire completely would cost an estimated $663 million.
A decision was made at the U.S. Bureau of Mines to provide $42 million in aid a year later. However, these funds were still insufficient to extinguish the fire in the mine and the toxic gases.
Due to the poisonous gases, people slowly began to leave the town. By the year 2020, only 10 people remained on 155 acres of land. Centralia, once an industrial town, began to transform into a ghost town.
Experts say that there is fuel for the flames to consume for decades and that the fire will continue to burn for up to 250 years.
As the years passed, the ground beneath the town began to heat up significantly. It is said that due to the fire reaching the depths, the temperature has risen to 482 degrees Fahrenheit.
The sinkholes visible in the town's roads evoke scenes from horror movies. Despite all these events, the Centralia Borough in the United States has become quite a popular place.
Tourists visiting the area have covered the town's roads with graffiti to commemorate their visit.
