2. Centralia, PA

The City of Centralia now has less than ten residents. Why?

The city is on fire. Centralia has been burning for over fifty years. Centralia, PA sits on top of Pennsylvania coal veins. The fire began in 1962, but it is unknown how the fire started.

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Some claim that the fire was started when a nearby landfill was set ablaze by order from the local government. Another expert says that the fire was started by a coal hauler who dumped hot coals onto the trash dump. A third theory is that a nearby coal fire from 1932 was never fully extinguished, and it finally reached Centralia, PA in 1962.

The cause has never been determined.