The American Town That Has Been Burning Underground Since 1962

Centralia, Pennsylvania was once home to around 1,100 people. Then, in May 1962, a fire began in abandoned mine workings beneath the town. Attempts to control it failed. Homes and businesses were acquired, residents were relocated, roads were damaged, and Centralia slowly changed from a living coal town into one of America’s most famous near-ghost towns. More than six decades later, the mine fire is still burning beneath the area. In this episode of Before It Disappeared, we reconstruct Centralia before the fire, follow how the disaster began, examine why it proved so difficult to stop, and look at what remains today. Before It Disappeared tells the stories of lost towns, forgotten places and vanished worlds. Subscribe for more documentaries about places and communities that disappeared. Safety note: The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection warns that the Centralia mine-fire area remains extremely dangerous because of hazardous gases and the risk of sudden ground collapse, and strongly discourages people from entering the immediate area.