1962day.year
The Centralia mine fire is ignited in the town's landfill above a coal mine.
A coal seam fire ignited beneath Centralia's landfill, starting a blaze that would burn underground for decades.
On May 27, 1962, a fire accidentally broke out beneath the town landfill in Centralia, Pennsylvania. Burning embers reached a network of abandoned coal mine tunnels, allowing the blaze to spread unchecked underground. Attempts to extinguish the fire through trenching and water injection were unsuccessful. Toxic gases, subsidence, and smoke emissions eventually forced the evacuation and condemnation of most of the town. The Centralia mine fire became one of the longest-lasting mine fires in history and inspired studies on mine safety and environmental remediation. Today, the site remains closed off, with warning signs marking hazardous zones and ongoing thermal activity beneath the surface.
1962
Centralia mine fire