The Fire Beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania

I recently visited a town in Pennsylvania. Technically, it's no longer a town — because in Centralia, a fire has been burning since the 1960s. More precisely: beneath Pennsylvania.

An underground coal fire couldn't be extinguished despite years of effort costing 70 million dollars. The residents of Centralia were then expropriated by the state, the town razed to the ground, and what remains to this day is just a network of streets and sidewalks, the occasional fire hydrant. And the fire, of course. Somewhere down there, beneath the earth.

On the way to Centralia.
On the way to Centralia.
The sidewalks are largely destroyed.
The sidewalks are largely destroyed.
All houses were demolished, only the street grid remains.
All houses were demolished, only the street grid remains.
Scattered debris from better times.
Scattered debris from better times.
An intersection with street signs — but no traffic.
An intersection with street signs — but no traffic.
A fire hydrant remains.
A fire hydrant remains.
A handful of residents still live here — and they have electricity.
A handful of residents still live here — and they have electricity.
The heat from below warps the road.
The heat from below warps the road.
This tree once stood in someone's front yard.
This tree once stood in someone's front yard.
A time capsule is buried here.
A time capsule is buried here.
A strangely empty place.
A strangely empty place.
A garden wall without a garden.
A garden wall without a garden.