The burning town of Centralia

Chapter 1

The spark in the coal

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Answer

Chapter 2

The science of a subterranean fire

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Chapter 3

Life on a boiling crust

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Chapter 4

The ghost town and its legacy

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YOUR GOAL

Master of The burning town of Centralia

Ch 1 · The spark in the coal

hank The labyrinth of abandoned mines

hank A town built on black gold

hank The fateful Memorial Day cleanup

hank Early failed attempts to extinguish it

hank Centralia Mine Fire

Still burning bright, burning bright / Deep in the coal tonight

The labyrinth of abandoned mines

hank Hundreds of miles of unmapped mining tunnels allowed the fire to spread rapidly.

Fun Fact

The spark: The Centralia fire started from a landfill cleanup meant to prepare the town for its annual Memorial Day parade.

The fateful Memorial Day cleanup

hank A routine landfill cleanup in May 1962 accidentally ignited the underground coal seam.

Quiz

Where did the fire that ignited the Centralia coal seam originally start?

Gossip

Would you stay in Centralia?

Quiz

What method did the state of Pennsylvania first try to use to smother the Centralia fire in 1962?

Quiz

Why did the underground fire spread so quickly through the ground of Centralia?

Quiz

In what year did the underground fire in Centralia, Pennsylvania, begin?

Quiz

What type of high-quality coal was Centralia founded on mining?

Quiz

By 1969, how hot did the underground fire in Centralia get?

Quiz

Which Pennsylvania company began mining the coal deposits in Centralia in 1856?

Quiz

Why did the early trench-digging projects fail to contain the Centralia fire?