Centralia is a town where an underground fire has been burning for over 60 years

Centralia is a town in Pennsylvania, USA, where underground coal mines have been burning for over 60 years and will continue to do so for at least another 250 years.

The Centralia fire started in 1962 due to a planned arson of garbage at a landfill in order to clean it up.

This arson led to the fire spreading to abandoned mines beneath the town.

Attempts to extinguish it were unsuccessful due to the deep coal accumulations.

Over time, the townspeople began to experience health problems due to the carbon monoxide gas that was emitted from underground.

The true extent of the disaster was not revealed until 17 years later, when a gas station owner tried to check the fuel level by inserting a dipstick into one of the underground tanks.

After a few more years, the ground beneath people’s feet began to fail.

In 1984, Congress appropriated more than $42 million to prepare and organize the evacuation of the city.