★★★ *FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE VIDEO / FACT UPDATES* ★★★ *1) At **3:40**, he says “March, 2019”?* - For some reason people are hearing me say 2019 at 3:40, I listened to the video, and I clearly hear 2018, which is what I said. *2) Where did all the houses go?* - I have not researched this answer, it is just a guess, but I would assume either the government relocated the houses to new plots of lands in another town, or once people moved out the government demolished the houses, so homeless people could not live in them. *3) The cheerful jingling music doesn't really fit the video* - Yes I know, but I made this video when I was using that music a lot, as I own the licence to it and it was kind of my theme music, but I started using more appropriate music for the topic as time went by.
The graffiti highway is in better shape than I35 in Dallas TX before it was repaired. Not even kidding. I've been driving on I35 since 1990 so I know how bad it once was.
The town geniuses maintained a trash dump, the town's "rocket-scientest" decided to burn the trash. Henceforth the fire ignited the coal...then in 2016 with the balance of the nation decided, this town and a majority of Pennsylvania voted for Trump!
I've been here multiple times since the fire started and it's quite eerie and never gets old. Streets go to nowhere and there are blocks full of old foundations, almost an apocalypse setting. The highway has now been covered with dirt unfortunately, as too many people littered and offroaded there (go figure how dirt is gonna stop that) but before, there were large fissures and sometimes even 5' drops in the highway. Quite a sight. I'm glad I saw it before it was gone.
A group of friends and me actually went to Centralia back in the late 2000s. We set up an Airsoft match where roughly 45 people joined after hearing about it. I can say that 90% of the town is completely safe, and is honestly one of the most surreal experiences I've ever had. We only stayed for a few hours because we didn't want to disturb the leftover residents for long. That and we didn't want police/feds showing up to charge us with whatever they may have in mind. It was fun, and I suggest if anyone can visit it that they do so. It's a really neat place.
i still live near centralia, grandparents lived down the highway in ashland next to mays restaurant. literally 20 minutes away from me. i have been there many many times growing up.
People in Cleveland have been saying that for years, a comedian did a video that's probably on TH-cam, his name is Mike Polk Jr. it called Hastily made tourist video....Detroit is a cool city on the rebound check it out sometime!!!
I read a newspaper article about this town fifteen years ago, my parents didn't live far from here so I suggested to my Dad that we should take a ride up there to investigate, it was weird to say the least and yes, we could see smoke coming up through the ground.
Kinda a moot point when there is nothing there. Now they can't walk to the corner store, or work close to home. Far more disadvantages than advantages.
I live less than an hour away and never got around to visiting. I have to agree with the residents, why leave, it's probably the most peaceful town in PA. Better to have cracks in the streets than being sold on them.
They didn't know how big the coal seam was, or how close to the surface the seam came back then. In some places, you could take your shoes off in the dead of winter and walk around almost burning your feet. Plus, they had to shut off and disconnect all the gas lines in town because of the risk of explosions. There were also residents that had well water, and there were concerns of toxic materials leaching into the water table and accidentally poisoning someone. There were plenty of reasons to leave, and the only reason the handful that are left were allowed to stay, was because they eventually figured out the seam of coal didn't come that close to those homes, but there was still enough risk that once those people either move or die, the government gets the property.
@@richardbidinger2577 Centralia sat on one of the biggest anthracite coal deposits in the world. the things you speak of are old news. The fire is almost extinguished or has gone deep underground. I live 3 miles from the place.
I was there this past summer. Not much left to see. We tried finding the graffiti highway, but the Commonwealth of PA covered it with dirt so that tourists wouldn’t gather during Covid. Some of the roads leading up to the town were painted red with a fire retardant paint which was kinda cool to see. We also didn’t see any smoke rising up from the ground. All there really is up there is just old roads, and whats left of some old plots of land. There’s like, 3 people still living up there. And it’s not as remote as you’d think. There’s another town right next to it.
Been driving thru Centralia for years on our way to our hunting cabin and it never seems to get old. I still get out and walk around just to check it out... I was just there yesterday on our way home.
That sounds awesome, it must feel cool to be able to interact with such an interestingplace that made history, have you ever talked to the few locals that still live nearby?
@@MrJayt0625 I can understand if they want privacy, I would too if I was that easy to find because of how specific the location is. Thank you for answering tho!
We are our governments enemies, you see it every day, the enemies you talk of are giant money makers for our government's elites. They really love them but won't hesitate to kill 'em if it means a few $million goes in their buddies pockets. When they build a bridge in another country somebody's brother in law makes millions. If they destroy another bridge its another potential win fall. You can see this right?
@@JH-uy9ku yeah I heard something about that, they all in on some corrupt deal or another... im really tired of hearing about it, one thing right after another. Aint you?
Should have been more than a half billion. But the governments only pays pennies on the dollar. These people got screwed out of their life time homes. Saw it in many places during the 70's with the urban renewal project.
Was in the Army in PA in 1980. On a weekend took some friends to explore rock outcroppings overlooking the town. Everything about the area looked eerie. We didn’t go into the town itself because we didn’t trust the roads. Also a slight sulphur smell hung in the air. In my opinion, Centralia is just another one of many odd things or quirks about Pennsylvania.
I went through Centralia about 18 months ago during a road trip. It really is creepy driving/walking down those streets leading nowhere and realizing that they used to be surrounded by homes and families. I did walk down about a quarter mile of the graffiti highway, and *most* of the markings aren't obscene at all. Maybe strangest of all are the huge supports which had to be installed to keep the few remaining residences upright; they used to be rowhouses and were never designed to stand on their own.
Actually, this town didn't influence silent hill at all (or at least team silent never said anything about it) You're thinking of the movie's version of silent hill being inspired by this town. The original game didn't even have a coal-mine burning or ash falling from the sky like the movie did. In silent hill 1, snow was falling and the other original games had nothing falling from the sky.
I live only a few miles from Centralia. I remember just before they closed the old Rt. 61, when driving on it you could feel the car going up and down like a rollercoaster due to the road slowly caving down in sections. Also, since the end of the coal mining days here, we really have nothing left here. Our only mall was just demolished to make another warehouse. We have prisons and warehouses now. That’s about all that remains around here. Most of the small patch towns around our area are literally falling apart and are beyond repair. It’s just sad. Once the coal mining boom died, so did everything else.
Yes a lot of places around the world deal with the same problem of a Resource Boom and a Bust when it runs out. But it is kind of weird that even today a whole town can just die off to nothing, with internet based businesses & tourism to old towns, you would think a small town could happily limp along.
I’ve been there recently and the fire has moved deeper underground, when you visit there really isn’t any smoke coming out of the town but if you drive down by the creek to the east of town and along the hill side you can see smoke pouring out of these tiny opening
When I was growing up, we drove thru Centrailia every year! It was a thriving town. The government didnt give people what their homes were worth and they had no choice but to move I still drive thru there when I go up north.. The people tried to save the town thru their congressman but the govenment would not give the money up. very sad!
I traveled through this town every day from 2nd through 12th grade. I went to Bible School at the St. Ignatius for many years, and as a adult, and now musician, I sang and played for weddings in this same church. Many of my friends and some family members were all displaced because of this terrible fire. It's very sad to watch how a once thriving , coal mining town, was brought to its knees because of this terrible fire. They thought it would burn itself out, but the entire vein of coal was burning like the hetrolas that heated their houses. When they realized their mistake, it was too late. New Centralia was born outside of Kulpmont PA, and those who chose to leave their homes, rebuild, with the help of the federal government, into this new development. It's still hard to look at this footage.
There are many holes around Centralia, and while most do not emit any visible smoke, they do emit extremely hot gases which would burn your hand were you to leave it there for more than a second or two.
Remember my Dad taking me here when I was like 10 years old & seeing that church. We were on a hill that overlooked the town & saw several areas were white smoke was coming out of the ground & no one else was around. Very eerie place...
Same thing happened here in Australia . In New South Wales a mountain is on fire from the coal seam underground . Was started by bushfire lightening strike way back in the 50,s . Estimated to burn for ever as coal runs kilometres under ground
"In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill. You promised you would take me there some day, but you never did. Well, I'm all alone now, waiting for you...in our special place."
I live right next to this area and the whole North Schuylkill county area is dead. The worst thing about living in this area is all the coal dust on everything. I have a White House that I have to wash or it turns gray. If you’re looking for a cheap place to live and not worried about employment this is the place to go
Mount Carmel and Ashland are still decent areas that are about 10 minutes away. Those areas you can find a liveable house around $20k or if you know how to do repairs you can get much cheaper. My one house in Mount Carmel was $3500 needing a roof and interior updating. I am just a part time resident also. Love the cheap property taxes and relatively non existent crime in some of these towns.
It is a very peaceful region. There is a certain unspoken respect in coal mining towns, and the rif raf haven't infested it yet. It's like going back in time if that's your thing. If you're looking for lots to do and modern conveniences , it's not the place for you.
I had no idea we had a Burning Mountain in Australia, with a fire that has been going for 6,000-10,000 years, it's only 1,000 klms from my house, I got a go check that out someday.
Why didn't you mention that it was the inspiration for the movie version of the town in "Silent Hill"? The coal fire was taken directly from Centralia's actual history.
I have so many questions like who is importing goods into their towns? How are they getting groceries in the stores? If it’s a town of 5 people, literally what are their jobs? How do they get paid, and for what?
@@riggamorrischan that is more than likely stubborn old people who refused to give up their homes to the government and move, and want to die in their town. Probably living off social security. Id bet those 5 have some kinda family that bring in stuff to them from a neighboring town.
really? nobody had the idea to use Centralia as a base to build an energy generating plant yet? with all the free heat / fire? ^^; free energy for 200 years, baby!
Recently they(not sure whom) have covered the “graffiti highway” with layers of dirt. This was due to all the people stopping and traveling to this area. Social media ruins another thing!👏🏼
Don't blame the kids. That town could make the best of the situation and encourage tourism but instead the mayor decided to cover something up that meant something to a lot of people
I know this is old video, I'm 65yr old never heard about this until now on TH-cam, very interesting. There should be a televised story about this. Thanks for the videos
Centralia's Zip Code Was : 17927. When I used to buy Items at Comp=USA, they always asked you for your Zip Code. The Cashiers were perplexed because the Zip Code was not accepted. This was back in 2006. The Centralia Zip Code has been ''Retired'' since 2002.
At least its quiet and peaceful with no cops cars blurring their sirens and no gunshots heard no arguing neighbors causing problems no screaming children's loud dog barking 😑
I drove route 61. Everyone walked back, but having a jeep, I said F it and cruised back. There was a few places I saw smoke coming from the ground, but it was back off the road aways.
I used to drive through here on the way to college, back in the late 80's. It was mostly sad and only a little spooky then. Equally sad are the squalid coal patch towns and vacant mines full of rusting equipment.
The smoke and gases that you can see and smell are bad enough, but it's the ones that you can't detect via your organic senses alone that are the real health hazards there.
@@SunkJakeIsland I mean specifically in Centralia, PA. How many people were killed or injured by the dangerous gasses emanating from the ground around this town? After all, that is supposedly why the government took the heavy-handed authoritarian approach of forcing almost all the people out of their homes.
@@ethanlamoureux5306 It's either force people out of the town and even pay for there new houses up to a certain limit along with insurance, or get massive lawsuits on the town it-self and therefore the Gov. which would've been well over the 5 billion+ it would've costed just to fix the problem at all. You get 3-10 people experiencing breathing problems? Relocate immediately. You get 10 people dieing from it and the Gov. isn't doing anything about it? Lawsuits and Gov. is seen as bad, costing billions in revenue.
As a Pennsylvanian I drove through Centralia many years ago. About half the residents were gone at the time and I couldn't imagine why anyone stayed. I'm from Harrisburg but moved to Schuylkill County last Fall. I'm about 45 minutes from Centralia, straight up 61 N. I live about a mile off 61. It's above Ashland, a small coal mining town where you can visit a coal mine. My mom grew up in Tamaqua, northeast of where I am now. As a child I spent time there with my grandparents and remember in the back of their house the view was of a large coal hill. They heated with coal and got delivery via a chute into a big bin in their basement. I have no desire to visit Centralia today. It was weird when I went there in the early 80s. That was enough for me.
The last remaining residents left Centralia Pennsylvania is this year because of not only the ground is contaminated ground, but also COVID-19. Some of the buildings are fairly new with electricity, gas, and running water. I thought ghost towns are abandon buildings is from the 1800s and early 1900s, but I was wrong. There are even LED street lights in Centralia Pennsylvania, but the power is out.
Actually it's by a highway with pretty regular police drive bys :( always was a well known area locally. Now thanks to you tube this and other places get ruined
@@mitbener6805 Yeah but for now we could continue to use it. I guess the issue would be that since it is a coal mine, the fire is burning the coal. Now, that is a form of energy as is take engines back in the day with the use of coal as stated. However, perhaps there is no difference with that and just burning the coal yourself for power? Then again, how would you install a machine to harness the power without getting people killed? Idk just my two cents.
Interesting to think about how while everyone is leaving, some people want to leave something behind. Graffiti highway strikes some surreal chords with me.
I’ve read about this town a few times over the years. One thing never mentioned is how far spread will the fire get? Pennsylvania, as well as many other states, is loaded with similar underground ignitable coal seams. And, will it ever be inhabitable again, or does the chance of subsidence prevent that?
bm3 id say a huge chunk of the US is more affordable to live in than SF or California period(assuming SF stands for San Francisco). Also a large portion of the country far safer.
S.F. and California has gone to shxx. Pa. Is a beautiful state to live in. Lakes, stream's, mountains. Buy any firearm and mag. you want. Because it's part of America.
Perfect place for RVs, since they do not lit nor smoke, and the lush greens provides health for the communities. The former residents can allocate resources to have them all back there, and have their RVs installed for QUICK movements, if there is some fire happening. Its been 3 decades.
My grandparents lived in Mt. Carmel (one town over) and we used to drive thru there on Rt. 61 when visiting. Since we always visited around Thanksgiving we'd see the smoke and steam in places while driving thru. Used to scare the crap outta me thinking we'd get sucked into a sinkhole or something, ha! There also wouldn't be any snow on parts of the road either. Still a sad situation for the residents.
Quite possibly because the Discovery Channel, like so many other cable networks, has lost its way. Information like this has to be found some other way.
Dude this is like a dream come true. Everyone just up and leaves and your town around ypur house turnes back into nature. As long as the gas wasent killing my family, i would love it
I keep seeing tons and tons of tarmac, just waiting there to be stripped away and re-used in road construction projects. That's MONEY being left abandoned!!!
Tell me, would you like to go in and collect it all? I'm from a town next to centralia and if you knew how dangerous it truly was there, you'd understand why people don't "reuse" shit around there. They saved what they could before conditions got too dangerous, so take your useless comment and shove it.
I live 15-20 minutes away in Bloomsburg Edit- you missed the fact a young boy was playing in the back yard and fell into a sinkhole and burned alive, they never recovered his body
Kid: “Mom, dad? They’re saying we need to evacuate. I think we should move.” Parents: “Nope. Our family has lived here for generations, we’re not going anywhere.”🤦♀️
And a few months ago graffiti highway was covered in dirt because of BAD TOURISTS and asinine individuals ruining a cool place to see and visit from time to time. Cool video 👍
I find the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike much more fascinating. I'll be going on my 5th trip there on March 20th weather permitting. I have a video of it on my channel.
Grew up in Mt Carmel 4 miles away, i remember Centralia as a kid, i still travel through there sometimes twice a day as a truck driver and look around and wonder how a whole community could become a ghost town over sparking an accidental mine fire while burning trash in a pit. This was before my time but its still sad for people who called it home.
Wow I never Knew this about Pennsylvania!! "Very interesting" 🤔 I'm from Philadelphia, pa and I'm amazed by this story!! There's Always something New that I didn't know about!! Thanks for sharing this information!!
I used to live un a town named Girardville PA, it's about 4 miles away. We took jeeps up there to goof off. The police are patrolling now. I think someone got hurt bad, so they are out arresting for trespassing.
The church on the hilltop that overlooks the town of Centralia is not actually located in Centralia. It’s approximately 200 feet past the borderline into the next town of Conyngham. This is why the church still stands as only Centralia buildings were included with the eminent domain/demolition.
You have obviously never tried to put out a very large fire. For starters, this fire is HUGE, where do you suggest they pump the water to put it out? Do they start in the middle? Start at one end and keep pumping indefinitely? BTW, there are reputed to be several other smaller fires like this one, in Pennsylvania. Luckily, those smaller fires are in less densely populated areas. And remember that tire fire that featured fairly prominently in The Simpsons? There is/was a similar huge tire fire adjacent to an interstate junction in northeastern Pennsylvania, I forget how close it is/was to Centralia.
@@howardkerr8174 They should have tried. The fire is actually contained, you know where the fire is. Just start filling it up and plug up the holes where the water leaks out. Eventually the fire could be put out. No one tried. Without trying it is impossible to succeed.🤷♂️😓
@@cattman1970 Learn some grammar and spelling. Should read "You are" not your. 😉 Anyway what is wrong with filling up the mine with water. Sealing the vents as the rising water finds them. Once the fire is out you just pump all the water back out again. We have been pumping water out of mines for over 300 years it is not too hard to reverse the pumps. Of course it should have been done back in 1962 it is a little late now.
I was just there a few days ago--everything is extremely grown over now. The vents aren't visibly smoking but I'm sure there are still gasses being exhausted. Every now and then you'd catch a tar/asphalt smell. Great spot to do a little off road driving as well. I didn't see a soul in the 2 hours I spent exploring.
I love this place. Such a nice place to ride. It's really cool to go there when it's snowing. There you can find the hot spots on RT 61. Only eerie thing is the cemetery never got snowed on (when I went there) because if the heat underground
hsvkidusa to bad the state police patrol the area more then ever. I used to ride ATV's around the area but it got to dangerous. Rode all around Wilburton and Mt. Carmel.
The mineral rights belonged to the town. That fire is in old abandoned mined out seams that had very little economically recoverable coal at the time. Basically it's scraps and crumbs burning. Now below that is the Mammoth Coal Bed. The Mammoth Coal Bed is estimated to contain 40 million tons of high grade anthracite just under the town of Centraila. That coal bed runs like another 20 or 30 miles outside of Centraila, so there is a massive amount of coal down there. Anthracite is very valuable as it is almost pure carbon. It's used in the production of steel. If you look at some of the "Hot Spots around the world Like The Donets Basin in the Ukraine, or North Korea you will find vast anthracite coal deposits
This is going to sound awful but Centralia today is not much worse off than a lot of the towns in Pennsylvania. In fact it is nicer than some even though it has been burning for decades.
As the fire burns through the coal vein, i would expect them to have to move the entire operation to where the fire is currently burning hottest every so often. And they could lose equipment to sinkholes, so that's probably the bigger reason lol.
I used to live a few hours drive from there. As a teen, I went with a bunch of friends. We tagged the highway as it is something you are supposed to do when visiting now. We also brought gas mask and an air quality tester. There were a few areas that the air quality tester threw a fit about, but not as much as we thought it would. This was back in the last 1980's
I did not add in the video, but a sink who opened up under a child back in the 80's I think it was, there seems to be only 1 report of a sink whole opening with a person involved so, i skipped that part.
That happened to Todd Domboski, who happened to be taking a shortcut through his Grand Ma's Back Yard. This happened in 1981. I don't know whether to call it a ''Sinkhole'' Technically, as it was really just Subsidence that exposed Todd to live Fire from within the Mines. Regardless of what you go on to call it, it happened just the same, and his life was truly threatened at the time. It was a ''Turning Point'' in Centralia's History.
As a note to any who want to visit this area. We were just there, August 2022. There are 5 people left in town, 1 church, and the Municiple Building, and graffiti highway has been buried. You can drive through the town but will not recognize anything of the town. And Graffiti Hgw. If you do stop and try to walk where it is, just piles of dirt. The Cops will fine you for trespassing, 200-250.00.
We're going there next year and we're going to paint the whole length of road black, so the next generation can start over with new graffitti. Come after the 2nd week of July. We will be done by then.
This is my comment for those who came from the future. If you see my comment, let me know if the fires are extinguished and the residents return to their town
★★★ *FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE VIDEO / FACT UPDATES* ★★★
*1) At **3:40**, he says “March, 2019”?* - For some reason people are hearing me say 2019 at 3:40, I listened to the video, and I clearly hear 2018, which is what I said.
*2) Where did all the houses go?* - I have not researched this answer, it is just a guess, but I would assume either the government relocated the houses to new plots of lands in another town, or once people moved out the government demolished the houses, so homeless people could not live in them.
*3) The cheerful jingling music doesn't really fit the video* - Yes I know, but I made this video when I was using that music a lot, as I own the licence to it and it was kind of my theme music, but I started using more appropriate music for the topic as time went by.
Time traveling for sure to 2019 lol
I heard 18
I think they mistook your accent brah haha
Sounded like 19 to me too, but it's your accent.
I clearly heard two thousand aye teen.
That graffiti highway is still in better shape than some of the roads where I live.
Or Ohio lol
probably because not many cars drive on it
You DIO lover you'
The graffiti highway is in better shape than I35 in Dallas TX before it was repaired. Not even kidding. I've been driving on I35 since 1990 so I know how bad it once was.
Pennsylvania has THE worst roads I have ever witnessed.
Imagine your working in your local Coal Mine and you accidentally start a fire that lasts 300 years.
Must be feeling a little guilty
You'de likely vote for Donald Trump
The town geniuses maintained a trash dump, the town's "rocket-scientest" decided to burn the trash. Henceforth the fire ignited the coal...then in 2016 with the balance of the nation decided, this town and a majority of Pennsylvania voted for Trump!
@@charles6771 get the hell out of here you dumass conservative.
@@noahverhoff6203 Who's the dumb-ass, when you can't even spell correctly? The fire started back in the 60's not 1720! Dumb-ass.
This certainly gives new meaning to the term, _"hot property"._
I've been here multiple times since the fire started and it's quite eerie and never gets old. Streets go to nowhere and there are blocks full of old foundations, almost an apocalypse setting. The highway has now been covered with dirt unfortunately, as too many people littered and offroaded there (go figure how dirt is gonna stop that) but before, there were large fissures and sometimes even 5' drops in the highway. Quite a sight. I'm glad I saw it before it was gone.
No, Erie is another town elsewhere in the state, haha
In all seriousness, I agree with you, it's very bizarre.
@@ryancalhoun2910 lol thats where I'm from
Would be a good place to film The Walking Dead.
Or Nothing but Trouble
Nah they like to use the same old road episode after episode
The original silent hill
@@DirtyDrops
For real. 😑
@@shizukagozen777 know what I mean
A group of friends and me actually went to Centralia back in the late 2000s. We set up an Airsoft match where roughly 45 people joined after hearing about it. I can say that 90% of the town is completely safe, and is honestly one of the most surreal experiences I've ever had. We only stayed for a few hours because we didn't want to disturb the leftover residents for long. That and we didn't want police/feds showing up to charge us with whatever they may have in mind.
It was fun, and I suggest if anyone can visit it that they do so. It's a really neat place.
Big cracks, dangerous gases...sounds like someone I once dated.
More than once?
What can I say? I'm a slow learner.
Ha ha ha classic
@@tackyman2011 😀😁😂😂😂😂
@@valinperal LMAO!
One of my teachers used to live near Centralia, PA and whenever he was asked about Centralia, he would respond with something like, “be quiet”
Maybe you just need to be quiet
i still live near centralia, grandparents lived down the highway in ashland next to mays restaurant. literally 20 minutes away from me. i have been there many many times growing up.
Probably because he knew that once he got started on the subject he would never stop, and he had a lesson plan to get through.
sometimes, it's best to leave well enough alone.
@@beefyroni so... what's it like?
CENTRALIA: AT LEAST WE'RE NOT DETROIT
People in Cleveland have been saying that for years, a comedian did a video that's probably on TH-cam, his name is Mike Polk Jr. it called Hastily made tourist video....Detroit is a cool city on the rebound check it out sometime!!!
Thank God for open trash burning and the fossil fuel industry they gave us Centralia, Detroit, Cleveland and on and on.
More like Chicago
With the vandalism, it might as well be. Those scum bags are like parasites.
😂
I read a newspaper article about this town fifteen years ago, my parents didn't live far from here so I suggested to my Dad that we should take a ride up there to investigate, it was weird to say the least and yes, we could see smoke coming up through the ground.
Rent free and no house payment. Bank won’t repossess
💀Welcome to silent hill💀
Just silent hell lol
@@cimiez1 silent hill is a game and this centralia place is basically the town of silent hill in the game
@@kresnik694 Except it's not. There's no coal mine fire in the game and the game has no connection to Centralia. It only inspired the movie.
I am 4eading and reading about it and its interesting lets goooo!!! Hear sirens get called a witch and burn!!!!
THAT CHURCH LOOKED LIKE THE CHURCH FROM THE MOVIE!!!!!!
Well the remaining people never have to worry about finding a parking space, so that's a bonus.
NerdOfTheWeek
THEY WILL ALSO SAVE ON THEIR HEAT BILL.
Kinda a moot point when there is nothing there. Now they can't walk to the corner store, or work close to home. Far more disadvantages than advantages.
NerdOfTheWeek iiii
i will never get a full grasp of 1000 people settlements. lol.... 1000 people ? really ? what the heck ? it's so few. too few, i don't understand.
Ben Conway well......yeah lol
I live less than an hour away and never got around to visiting. I have to agree with the residents, why leave, it's probably the most peaceful town in PA. Better to have cracks in the streets than being sold on them.
@justsomeguy roads can be repaired same for buildings and vehicles plus if there is farmland nearby...
poisonous gases
They didn't know how big the coal seam was, or how close to the surface the seam came back then. In some places, you could take your shoes off in the dead of winter and walk around almost burning your feet. Plus, they had to shut off and disconnect all the gas lines in town because of the risk of explosions. There were also residents that had well water, and there were concerns of toxic materials leaching into the water table and accidentally poisoning someone. There were plenty of reasons to leave, and the only reason the handful that are left were allowed to stay, was because they eventually figured out the seam of coal didn't come that close to those homes, but there was still enough risk that once those people either move or die, the government gets the property.
@justsomeguy no worse than the roads in the rest of pa
@@richardbidinger2577 Centralia sat on one of the biggest anthracite coal deposits in the world. the things you speak of are old news. The fire is almost extinguished or has gone deep underground. I live 3 miles from the place.
I was there this past summer. Not much left to see. We tried finding the graffiti highway, but the Commonwealth of PA covered it with dirt so that tourists wouldn’t gather during Covid. Some of the roads leading up to the town were painted red with a fire retardant paint which was kinda cool to see. We also didn’t see any smoke rising up from the ground. All there really is up there is just old roads, and whats left of some old plots of land. There’s like, 3 people still living up there. And it’s not as remote as you’d think. There’s another town right next to it.
Been driving thru Centralia for years on our way to our hunting cabin and it never seems to get old. I still get out and walk around just to check it out... I was just there yesterday on our way home.
That sounds awesome, it must feel cool to be able to interact with such an interestingplace that made history, have you ever talked to the few locals that still live nearby?
@@pinkshadesingray3688 no they kind of keep to themselves, only like 6 or 7 left now...
@@MrJayt0625 I can understand if they want privacy, I would too if I was that easy to find because of how specific the location is.
Thank you for answering tho!
@@pinkshadesingray3688 no prob!
We can't spend a half a billion dollars on putting out this fire, but we can spend billions giving money to our enemies.
We are our governments enemies, you see it every day, the enemies you talk of are giant money makers for our government's elites. They really love them but won't hesitate to kill 'em if it means a few $million goes in their buddies pockets. When they build a bridge in another country somebody's brother in law makes millions. If they destroy another bridge its another potential win fall. You can see this right?
@@joracer1 The guy that leased the twin towers a month or so before 9/11 got billions in insurance pay off . Look it up if you didn't know
@@JH-uy9ku yeah I heard something about that, they all in on some corrupt deal or another... im really tired of hearing about it, one thing right after another. Aint you?
Aint that the TRUTH ! go figure....
Should have been more than a half billion. But the governments only pays pennies on the dollar. These people got screwed out of their life time homes. Saw it in many places during the 70's with the urban renewal project.
Was in the Army in PA in 1980. On a weekend took some friends to explore rock outcroppings overlooking the town. Everything about the area looked eerie. We didn’t go into the town itself because we didn’t trust the roads. Also a slight sulphur smell hung in the air. In my opinion, Centralia is just another one of many odd things or quirks about Pennsylvania.
When you lose at simcity.
but for me its always budgets...money is my bane in sc4.
LOL
lol haahhaa!
I love to see my kids playing that game, it actually makes them think.
Lmaoooi
I went through Centralia about 18 months ago during a road trip. It really is creepy driving/walking down those streets leading nowhere and realizing that they used to be surrounded by homes and families. I did walk down about a quarter mile of the graffiti highway, and *most* of the markings aren't obscene at all. Maybe strangest of all are the huge supports which had to be installed to keep the few remaining residences upright; they used to be rowhouses and were never designed to stand on their own.
My Grandma and her family used to live there. My Great grandpa worked in the very coal mines. It dope to see Centralia (still) on the map
Is it true
The influence for Silent Hill.
You get around
And that Simpson's episode where they relocated the town down the road.
Stop following me Mr Bundy. I have already subbed to you,lol.
Hello You!
Actually, this town didn't influence silent hill at all (or at least team silent never said anything about it) You're thinking of the movie's version of silent hill being inspired by this town. The original game didn't even have a coal-mine burning or ash falling from the sky like the movie did. In silent hill 1, snow was falling and the other original games had nothing falling from the sky.
I live only a few miles from Centralia. I remember just before they closed the old Rt. 61, when driving on it you could feel the car going up and down like a rollercoaster due to the road slowly caving down in sections. Also, since the end of the coal mining days here, we really have nothing left here. Our only mall was just demolished to make another warehouse. We have prisons and warehouses now. That’s about all that remains around here. Most of the small patch towns around our area are literally falling apart and are beyond repair. It’s just sad. Once the coal mining boom died, so did everything else.
Yes a lot of places around the world deal with the same problem of a Resource Boom and a Bust when it runs out. But it is kind of weird that even today a whole town can just die off to nothing, with internet based businesses & tourism to old towns, you would think a small town could happily limp along.
77barrj So sad...did you know anyone who lived there?
Wow the comments on this one realy took a shit fast LOL. All the little towns in Pa are kinda cool. But I hate driving up in them mountains.
That's the republicans dream for America. To turn every town into a Centralia.
+Henry TheGreatAmerican said a typical decepticrat.
...At least they don;t have to worry about salting the roads on a snowy winter
Xd
I’ve been there recently and the fire has moved deeper underground, when you visit there really isn’t any smoke coming out of the town but if you drive down by the creek to the east of town and along the hill side you can see smoke pouring out of these tiny opening
No property taxes. NJ could use a couple of towns like this.
Brian Bunce your whole state is like that town
Florida could use a few towns like this 😂😂
Half a billion doesn't seem like all that much these days. On the other hand at least the crime rate plunged.
When I was growing up, we drove thru Centrailia every year! It was a thriving town. The government didnt give people what their homes were worth and they had no choice but to move I still drive thru there when I go up north.. The people tried to save the town thru their congressman but the govenment would not give the money up. very sad!
This is the kind of commentary I like. Concise, to the point, well spoken and enunciated. Thank you. Oh yes, definitely "March, 2018".
Thanks Grey
An awesome video for sure! Excellent comment.
I traveled through this town every day from 2nd through 12th grade. I went to Bible School at the St. Ignatius for many years, and as a adult, and now musician, I sang and played for weddings in this same church. Many of my friends and some family members were all displaced because of this terrible fire. It's very sad to watch how a once thriving , coal mining town, was brought to its knees because of this terrible fire. They thought it would burn itself out, but the entire vein of coal was burning like the hetrolas that heated their houses. When they realized their mistake, it was too late. New Centralia was born outside of Kulpmont PA, and those who chose to leave their homes, rebuild, with the help of the federal government, into this new development. It's still hard to look at this footage.
There are many holes around Centralia, and while most do not emit any visible smoke, they do emit extremely hot gases which would burn your hand were you to leave it there for more than a second or two.
Remember my Dad taking me here when I was like 10 years old & seeing that church. We were on a hill that overlooked the town & saw several areas were white smoke was coming out of the ground & no one else was around. Very eerie place...
Same thing happened here in Australia . In New South Wales a mountain is on fire from the coal seam underground . Was started by bushfire lightening strike way back in the 50,s . Estimated to burn for ever as coal runs kilometres under ground
in actual wales it was the worst, people died because of how instantly it happened
"In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill. You promised you would take me there some day, but you never did. Well, I'm all alone now, waiting for you...in our special place."
🙄 ooh okaayy .. 🤣
Knight Artorias nice!
Why does no one who replies to these know what silent hill is?
Sillent Hill 2
So........... can i get the dog ending here or nah?
I live right next to this area and the whole North Schuylkill county area is dead. The worst thing about living in this area is all the coal dust on everything. I have a White House that I have to wash or it turns gray. If you’re looking for a cheap place to live and not worried about employment this is the place to go
Mount Carmel and Ashland are still decent areas that are about 10 minutes away. Those areas you can find a liveable house around $20k or if you know how to do repairs you can get much cheaper. My one house in Mount Carmel was $3500 needing a roof and interior updating. I am just a part time resident also. Love the cheap property taxes and relatively non existent crime in some of these towns.
Probably not but the air feels cleaner here than when I am in a major city.
It is a very peaceful region. There is a certain unspoken respect in coal mining towns, and the rif raf haven't infested it yet. It's like going back in time if that's your thing. If you're looking for lots to do and modern conveniences , it's not the place for you.
There is no noticeable coal dust to breathe in Centralia. It's all underground coal mining.
Yo bot
Looks like a rural version of Gary, Indiana.
At 2:37 in the bottom right corner you can see a circle and inside of it says "Send Nudes". 😂
Hahaha, seen this video over a dozen times and never noticed that until this post.
OK. I'll go!
RoBoVader 😂
I’m a photographer and actually did do a photoshoot in Centralia with a couple of my nude models. (Their idea, actually.)
Brian Baker pics or it didn’t happen...😂
I had no idea we had a Burning Mountain in Australia, with a fire that has been going for 6,000-10,000 years, it's only 1,000 klms from my house, I got a go check that out someday.
I have been there is amazing place. Steam in the forest.
Wonder World neither did I. ..but I live in the US so the world doesn't revolve around us.
Let us know after you check it out.
It hasn't been burning that long... they only say that to disprove God and His Word.
Can’t disprove God and his Word lol. They can try tho lol
Why didn't you mention that it was the inspiration for the movie version of the town in "Silent Hill"? The coal fire was taken directly from Centralia's actual history.
Also the movie Nothing but Trouble
@@richprince1239 I love that movie so much. It's dumb, but great.
@@richprince1239 oh that movie was funny. I forgot all about it. Now I get why things were like that in that movie. lol
You just did. Thank you.
Paid is paid, it's your house and where to move without a place to live. No robbery, no rush hour and ample parking
Exactly free energy :)
No.
and you also get to die by fire coming out of the ground.
I have so many questions like who is importing goods into their towns? How are they getting groceries in the stores? If it’s a town of 5 people, literally what are their jobs? How do they get paid, and for what?
@@riggamorrischan that is more than likely stubborn old people who refused to give up their homes to the government and move, and want to die in their town. Probably living off social security. Id bet those 5 have some kinda family that bring in stuff to them from a neighboring town.
really? nobody had the idea to use Centralia as a base to build an energy generating plant yet? with all the free heat / fire? ^^; free energy for 200 years, baby!
Send this to the p.a govenor im sure he will consider it
This town would be great for zombie movies
fun fact... the writers of silent hill's game and movie is based on this town
@@batheandrelaxinmyshit6344 no, you're just overly sensitive no reason.
@@melissaguillory9012 Why
@@batheandrelaxinmyshit6344 she gave you a fact, that's not rude.
@@melissaguillory9012 I have a very sensitive vagina
Recently they(not sure whom) have covered the “graffiti highway” with layers of dirt. This was due to all the people stopping and traveling to this area. Social media ruins another thing!👏🏼
Whaaaat, really? That’s crazy, where did you hear that?
I wish social media would go away. It destroy lives and culture.
It was our governor commie Tommie
Don't blame the kids. That town could make the best of the situation and encourage tourism but instead the mayor decided to cover something up that meant something to a lot of people
governor* ?
I live 3 miles away. It was fun playing around there as a youth.
Are you transgender
@@batheandrelaxinmyshit6344 That's the bisexual flag
@@CaptainJZH it's actually pink purple blue cuz I'm bi
What town do you live in? I live 8 miles from Centralia
I know this is old video, I'm 65yr old never heard about this until now on TH-cam, very interesting. There should be a televised story about this. Thanks for the videos
Yo that happy go lucky music does not set the tone for this disaster. just saying
I actually made a video about Centralia last year. I love how the next town over is called Byrnesville. I thought that was funny.
lol I wish I had known that I would have added it in my narration :(
Centralia is so desolate, it no longer has its own ZIP code. It shares the ZIP code with its neighboring town Ashland.
Colin Donovan no pun intended. Right?
RandomVideoCircus the best town name out there is either schmokin or blue ball
Centralia's Zip Code Was : 17927. When I used to buy Items at Comp=USA, they always asked you for your Zip Code. The Cashiers were perplexed because the Zip Code was not accepted. This was back in 2006. The Centralia Zip Code has been ''Retired'' since 2002.
At least its quiet and peaceful with no cops cars blurring their sirens and no gunshots heard no arguing neighbors causing problems no screaming children's loud dog barking 😑
I drove route 61. Everyone walked back, but having a jeep, I said F it and cruised back. There was a few places I saw smoke coming from the ground, but it was back off the road aways.
I used to drive through here on the way to college, back in the late 80's. It was mostly sad and only a little spooky then. Equally sad are the squalid coal patch towns and vacant mines full of rusting equipment.
The smoke and gases that you can see and smell are bad enough, but it's the ones that you can't detect via your organic senses alone that are the real health hazards there.
How many people have been killed or injured by these dangerous gasses?
@@ethanlamoureux5306 many have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
@@SunkJakeIsland I mean specifically in Centralia, PA. How many people were killed or injured by the dangerous gasses emanating from the ground around this town? After all, that is supposedly why the government took the heavy-handed authoritarian approach of forcing almost all the people out of their homes.
@@ethanlamoureux5306 It's either force people out of the town and even pay for there new houses up to a certain limit along with insurance, or get massive lawsuits on the town it-self and therefore the Gov. which would've been well over the 5 billion+ it would've costed just to fix the problem at all.
You get 3-10 people experiencing breathing problems? Relocate immediately.
You get 10 people dieing from it and the Gov. isn't doing anything about it? Lawsuits and Gov. is seen as bad, costing billions in revenue.
@@Nighterlev That's not what I was asking about, but thanks anyway.
As a Pennsylvanian I drove through Centralia many years ago. About half the residents were gone at the time and I couldn't imagine why anyone stayed. I'm from Harrisburg but moved to Schuylkill County last Fall. I'm about 45 minutes from Centralia, straight up 61 N. I live about a mile off 61. It's above Ashland, a small coal mining town where you can visit a coal mine.
My mom grew up in Tamaqua, northeast of where I am now. As a child I spent time there with my grandparents and remember in the back of their house the view was of a large coal hill. They heated with coal and got delivery via a chute into a big bin in their basement. I have no desire to visit Centralia today. It was weird when I went there in the early 80s. That was enough for me.
And if 3 mile island would have gotten away from them, Harrisburg would have been a giant Centralia!!!!
Wow i love my state..im from Philly but all of the history here is misty and creepy..ugh freekin love it❤❤
yep I like the east coast too 👍
Once we get legalized herb like the west coast has, there will be no reason to leave.
Wut Up from the Burgh! Me too, Pennsylvania is full of creepy history, love it too!
@Persian Music reading ma duse
el narcisista Ouuee I like creepy history I’m a have to come visit
The last remaining residents left Centralia Pennsylvania is this year because of not only the ground is contaminated ground, but also COVID-19. Some of the buildings are fairly new with electricity, gas, and running water. I thought ghost towns are abandon buildings is from the 1800s and early 1900s, but I was wrong. There are even LED street lights in Centralia Pennsylvania, but the power is out.
looks like great place to wheelie motorcycles with no cops around
Bit sketchy dude..
Must be getting one's front tires jammed in one of those flaming cracks in the road :-D
Yes someone will still turn up and moan.
@@RegulareoldNorseBoy part of the fun
Actually it's by a highway with pretty regular police drive bys :( always was a well known area locally. Now thanks to you tube this and other places get ruined
Yeah it is. I've had my street and dirtbikes on the graffiti highway in the past year
Why are we not using this for thermal power? Sounds to me like it would provide 24/7 power on a grand scale for a long time!
Kg King me
Because it takes a background in physics to realise that what you're saying is bull.
@@mr.conductor7625 Please explain why it's bull? I'm just curious is all.
Mr. Conductor I’m curious too, I’m guessing it would eventually extinguish the fire.
@@mitbener6805 Yeah but for now we could continue to use it. I guess the issue would be that since it is a coal mine, the fire is burning the coal. Now, that is a form of energy as is take engines back in the day with the use of coal as stated. However, perhaps there is no difference with that and just burning the coal yourself for power? Then again, how would you install a machine to harness the power without getting people killed? Idk just my two cents.
Interesting to think about how while everyone is leaving, some people want to leave something behind. Graffiti highway strikes some surreal chords with me.
Roadkill Raccoon it has a bunch of cocks sprayed all over it. It should be called penis highway.
A couple years ago i was up there from york n tried countin all the dicks... sadly, i am from york n cannot count that high...
+Maddog4x4 1 vote for " The phalic freeway"
It's now on my bucket list to draw a dick on that highway.
c'mon man, "draw a rod on that highway."
I’ve read about this town a few times over the years. One thing never mentioned is how far spread will the fire get? Pennsylvania, as well as many other states, is loaded with similar underground ignitable coal seams. And, will it ever be inhabitable again, or does the chance of subsidence prevent that?
The only thing unique about Centralia is the mine fire, there's been dozens of towns in Pennsylvania that have vanished
I live in a Big US city and Centralia looks safer and more Affordable than S.F. NO POLITICIANS Campaigning either...What a beautiful Place
Swear I was thinking the same thing
That’s the countryside for ya
bm3 id say a huge chunk of the US is more affordable to live in than SF or California period(assuming SF stands for San Francisco).
Also a large portion of the country far safer.
S.F. and California has gone to shxx. Pa. Is a beautiful state to live in. Lakes, stream's, mountains. Buy any firearm and mag. you want. Because it's part of America.
Also not a bit of poop to be found on any of the streets unlike S.F.
Perfect place for RVs, since they do not lit nor smoke, and the lush greens provides health for the communities. The former residents can allocate resources to have them all back there, and have their RVs installed for QUICK movements, if there is some fire happening. Its been 3 decades.
My grandparents lived in Mt. Carmel (one town over) and we used to drive thru there on Rt. 61 when visiting. Since we always visited around Thanksgiving we'd see the smoke and steam in places while driving thru. Used to scare the crap outta me thinking we'd get sucked into a sinkhole or something, ha! There also wouldn't be any snow on parts of the road either. Still a sad situation for the residents.
Lived in mt Carmel as a kid but never lived far away and spent my teen years in mt Carmel and drove through Centralia often back in 80s
through*
Nooby Vapor. same here relatives in mt carmel
How come I haven't heard of this in all my life till now through TH-cam. Not in Discovery Channel or even in the news.
Quite possibly because the Discovery Channel, like so many other cable networks, has lost its way. Information like this has to be found some other way.
Dude this is like a dream come true. Everyone just up and leaves and your town around ypur house turnes back into nature. As long as the gas wasent killing my family, i would love it
Nah. Theres better options. I think I'd rather live like the mountain men. Build a home in the middle of the appalachian mountains.
I keep seeing tons and tons of tarmac, just waiting there to be stripped away and re-used in road construction projects. That's MONEY being left abandoned!!!
Tell me, would you like to go in and collect it all? I'm from a town next to centralia and if you knew how dangerous it truly was there, you'd understand why people don't "reuse" shit around there. They saved what they could before conditions got too dangerous, so take your useless comment and shove it.
2:42. Bottom-right of the road. Inside the circle.
( . Y . )
( .Y. )
.
Y
Allen Mitchell send more
°|°
Seeing "Smoke" on freezing cold days? We call that "Steam."
It's not steam.
It’s condensate
Steam is from boiling water.
God you're dumb
I live 15-20 minutes away in Bloomsburg
Edit- you missed the fact a young boy was playing in the back yard and fell into a sinkhole and burned alive, they never recovered his body
Kid: “Mom, dad? They’re saying we need to evacuate. I think we should move.”
Parents: “Nope. Our family has lived here for generations, we’re not going anywhere.”🤦♀️
Poor trash response every time lol.I'd mov e in such a crisis
Is there a Trump voting site in Centralia?
@@Scourge88Monastik14 Nice to know 'you' could afford to just up and move. Not everyone has that luxury.
@@kirara2516 ur human waste
thanks for sharing. we locals feel so bad for those who lost there homes over the last 50 years here in Centralia. Its a sad tragidy. thanks again.
And a few months ago graffiti highway was covered in dirt because of BAD TOURISTS and asinine individuals ruining a cool place to see and visit from time to time. Cool video 👍
I find the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike much more fascinating. I'll be going on my 5th trip there on March 20th weather permitting. I have a video of it on my channel.
A friend of mine lives nearby and she took me on a tour of Centralia. It was so eerie.there was a stop sign in the middle of nothing.
with the government complaining of to much carbon in the atmosphere you hink they would have forced the issue of putting out the fires, just saying
It's shameful, with stuff like this how can America claim to be civilized.
ZionHillCalling Yeah that’s why most of the cities that whites have built are trashed now bc of blacks...
The only way to put these kinds of fires out is to let them burn out... There is no tech, equipment, etc that man has to be able to contain that.
@ZionHillCalling Dumbass XD
@@Ur2ez4me81 white didnt build shit mainly blacks and Mexicans build the inner cities but whites stole the land
The coal just burning up could probably provide enough energy for a small country.
Bark its not a bad idea, build a test geothermal plant, inyect water to the underground and get steam, may be its posible.
@ZionHillCalling No, I don't know jajaja, do you know where the Tatio Geysers are located? I had been there many times!
Grew up in Mt Carmel 4 miles away, i remember Centralia as a kid, i still travel through there sometimes twice a day as a truck driver and look around and wonder how a whole community could become a ghost town over sparking an accidental mine fire while burning trash in a pit. This was before my time but its still sad for people who called it home.
Wow I never Knew this about Pennsylvania!! "Very interesting" 🤔
I'm from Philadelphia, pa and I'm amazed by this story!! There's Always something New that I didn't know about!!
Thanks for sharing this information!!
I used to live un a town named Girardville PA, it's about 4 miles away. We took jeeps up there to goof off. The police are patrolling now. I think someone got hurt bad, so they are out arresting for trespassing.
The church on the hilltop that overlooks the town of Centralia is not actually located in Centralia. It’s approximately 200 feet past the borderline into the next town of Conyngham. This is why the church still stands as only Centralia buildings were included with the eminent domain/demolition.
To move from Centralia was hotly contested but after a heated debate they moved out.
@@batheandrelaxinmyshit6344 you are a simp
Why didn't they just fill up the mine with water? Seems like a simple fix.🤷♂️
You have obviously never tried to put out a very large fire. For starters, this fire is HUGE, where do you suggest they pump the water to put it out? Do they start in the middle? Start at one end and keep pumping indefinitely?
BTW, there are reputed to be several other smaller fires like this one, in Pennsylvania. Luckily, those smaller fires are in less densely populated areas.
And remember that tire fire that featured fairly prominently in The Simpsons? There is/was a similar huge tire fire adjacent to an interstate junction in northeastern Pennsylvania, I forget how close it is/was to Centralia.
@@howardkerr8174 They should have tried. The fire is actually contained, you know where the fire is. Just start filling it up and plug up the holes where the water leaks out. Eventually the fire could be put out. No one tried. Without trying it is impossible to succeed.🤷♂️😓
@@cattman1970 Learn some grammar and spelling. Should read "You are" not your. 😉
Anyway what is wrong with filling up the mine with water. Sealing the vents as the rising water finds them. Once the fire is out you just pump all the water back out again. We have been pumping water out of mines for over 300 years it is not too hard to reverse the pumps. Of course it should have been done back in 1962 it is a little late now.
I was thinking close the vents. No oxygen, no fire.
@@robertheinkel6225 That should work too but it might be hard to find all the vents.
I was just there a few days ago--everything is extremely grown over now. The vents aren't visibly smoking but I'm sure there are still gasses being exhausted. Every now and then you'd catch a tar/asphalt smell. Great spot to do a little off road driving as well. I didn't see a soul in the 2 hours I spent exploring.
JFI, it was actually the Fire Department that was burning the trash and started the fire.
Typical idiot Firefighters.
Maybe pyromaniacs. They like to become firefighters.
I love this place. Such a nice place to ride. It's really cool to go there when it's snowing. There you can find the hot spots on RT 61. Only eerie thing is the cemetery never got snowed on (when I went there) because if the heat underground
hsvkidusa to bad the state police patrol the area more then ever. I used to ride ATV's around the area but it got to dangerous. Rode all around Wilburton and Mt. Carmel.
The mineral rights belonged to the town. That fire is in old abandoned mined out seams that had very little economically recoverable coal at the time. Basically it's scraps and crumbs burning. Now below that is the Mammoth Coal Bed. The Mammoth Coal Bed is estimated to contain 40 million tons of high grade anthracite just under the town of Centraila. That coal bed runs like another 20 or 30 miles outside of Centraila, so there is a massive amount of coal down there. Anthracite is very valuable as it is almost pure carbon. It's used in the production of steel.
If you look at some of the "Hot Spots around the world Like The Donets Basin in the Ukraine, or North Korea you will find vast anthracite coal deposits
This is going to sound awful but Centralia today is not much worse off than a lot of the towns in Pennsylvania. In fact it is nicer than some even though it has been burning for decades.
Guest Ahole
and that of many others I and others all over have witness and read about so is not a coal issue but way more then that and lot simpler .
Guest Ahole , you took the words right out of my mouth!
Why don't you use the heat to create electricity? It's a thermic generator missing a steam engine on it...
Please read on "thermic generator".... Yes, you can make electricity from heat.
As the fire burns through the coal vein, i would expect them to have to move the entire operation to where the fire is currently burning hottest every so often. And they could lose equipment to sinkholes, so that's probably the bigger reason lol.
And on top of that, it seems the fire has moved on elsewhere.
because it's USA, you don't need thermal energy if you can attack some state with petroleum :-)
that is not that answer we looking for :-)
I used to live a few hours drive from there. As a teen, I went with a bunch of friends. We tagged the highway as it is something you are supposed to do when visiting now. We also brought gas mask and an air quality tester. There were a few areas that the air quality tester threw a fit about, but not as much as we thought it would. This was back in the last 1980's
Funny thing I live 15-20 minutes away and have never been there
How sad.....love the side by side view of then and now(3:00)....looked like a great little town !
61 Years later, that town is still abandoned.
I was interested in checking it out until you said "sinkhole".
I did not add in the video, but a sink who opened up under a child back in the 80's I think it was, there seems to be only 1 report of a sink whole opening with a person involved so, i skipped that part.
That happened to Todd Domboski, who happened to be taking a shortcut through his Grand Ma's Back Yard. This happened in 1981. I don't know whether to call it a ''Sinkhole'' Technically, as it was really just Subsidence that exposed Todd to live Fire from within the Mines. Regardless of what you go on to call it, it happened just the same, and his life was truly threatened at the time. It was a ''Turning Point'' in Centralia's History.
Well people want heated floors in their homes well now u have it outside 😐
As a note to any who want to visit this area. We were just there, August 2022. There are 5 people left in town, 1 church, and the Municiple Building, and graffiti highway has been buried. You can drive through the town but will not recognize anything of the town. And Graffiti Hgw. If you do stop and try to walk where it is, just piles of dirt. The Cops will fine you for trespassing, 200-250.00.
Thank you for being HONEST. 👍
I don't live too far from this town and travel thru it from time to time, it's creepy to see smoke rising from the cemetery.
Just out of curiosity, they never moved any of the bodies since?
At least no heating problems in the winter.
I really want to visit there I remember this on the news about people needing to relocate in 1983. Visiting Centralia is on my bucket list.
Ironically one of the few buildings remaining is a volunteer fire company.
@Guest Name
Centralia Fire Company 1Suggest Edit
Address
600 Locust Avenue
Centralia, Pennsylvania, 17921
Phone
570-875-0687
I was there in 2019..the graffitti highway is almost completely covered over now.
By what?
@@disfatbidge8219 They're covering it over with dirt . Could only see small sections
@@barbaradavis4919 why tho
@@disfatbidge8219 hatred it was historic art
We're going there next year and we're going to paint the whole length of road black, so the next generation can start over with new graffitti. Come after the 2nd week of July. We will be done by then.
This is my comment for those who came from the future. If you see my comment, let me know if the fires are extinguished and the residents return to their town