Random Things About the Helltown In Pennsylvania (10 items)

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  (#1) In 1962, The Mine Below Centralia Caught Fire

  The coal mines in and around Centralia began to shut down after the war. However, the town's long struggle with coal was just beginning. While not everyone agrees how the fire started, the most common story is that it began when a landfill near the mouth of one of the mines was set ablaze by the volunteer fire department. Another theory suggests that a coal fire from 1932 had never been fully extinguished and slowly spread across the abandoned mine.
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  (#2) The Hillsides Are Covered In Vents That Spew Toxic Gases

  With the fire burning below ground, all of the smoke and gas it produces needs somewhere to go. If you were to walk through Centralia, you'd see hillsides dotted with vents. Some are man-made pipes which allow gas to escape, while others are natural holes that have formed in the Earth. Either way, going near them means putting yourself at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. Some produce the gas at life-threatening levels.
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  (#3) Daily Concerns For Residents Include Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

  The heat and gases from the fire underground pose a number of risks to the residents of Centralia. The extent of the danger wasn't fully realized until the late 1970s, when strange and alarming incidents began to occur. One of the most frightening was the near-death of Todd Domboski—the 12-year-old was walking in his backyard when a sinkhole opened up and nearly swallowed him. He was able to cling to roots along the side of the pit before he was pulled to safety. Otherwise, he would have fallen into a 150-foot hole of carbon monoxide. Other common concerns include structure fires and the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning in homes and businesses.
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  (#4) The Fire Is Going To Have To Burn Itself Out Completely

  The burn has been described as an "epic, meatless barbecue." Under normal circumstances, if a fire occurs the fire department simply puts it out. But with this fire, there is physically no way to extinguish it. It's destined to smolder until it completely burns itself out, which some predict could take as long as 250 years.
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  (#5) There Are Only Ten Residents Left In The Town

  Of the 2,700 residents of Centralia, only ten remain living there. Those tough ten have had to fight hard against state officials and the EPA to keep their residences—they finally won a 20-year legal battle to stay in 2013. The long-time residents were unwilling to leave their homes and land, even as nearby houses burst into flame and toxic gas filled most of the town. The government compensated all of the other residents who abandoned their houses, but a stubborn few are now free to live out the remainder of their lives knowing that, while they're in imminent danger of poisoning and structure fires, the state of Pennsylvania will no longer try to repossess their property.
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  (#6) There Was Hope That "Helltown" Would Become A Tourist Attraction, But Visitors Are Strongly Discouraged

  Experts adamantly warn against visiting Centralia. Unfortunately, tourists who read about the town online are often drawn to the site and attempt to take souvenirs home with them, including the signs warning visitors of danger.

  Roadside America wrote, "We imagined a future tourism windfall for Centralia itself, reborn as 'Helltown USA,' with bus tours guided by residents in red devil tights and horns." Not surprisingly, this vision hasn't been realized because of deterrents such as the deadly carbon monoxide levels and raging underground fire which could split the Earth and consume anyone at any moment.
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  (#7) Officials Have Closed And Rerouted Freeways

  There was really was no other option for officials but to cut off Highway 61. The freeway dropped and buckled as the mine burned, with huge cracks appearing as gas vents formed in the center of the road. Since it is no longer safe or passable, motorists are rerouted through the nearby town of Ashland.
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  (#8) Before The Fire, Centralia Was A Charming Small Town

  In 1749, Native American inhabitants of the area where Centralia was built sold their land to English settlers. The region was slowly developed by various European immigrants. The town sits atop coal deposits, but settlers initially did little with them.

  Anthracite coal mining didn't begin in earnest until 1854, when it became the lifeblood of Centralia. It was a bustling little town by the 1890s, with five hotels, 27 saloons, and a handful of churches and theaters. At its peak, the community's population was around 2,700. However, production and demand began to fade after World War I—by the 1960s, the mines had all but completely shut down.
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  (#9) They Opened Their Time Capsule Early

  The residents of Centralia buried a time capsule for the town in 1966, four years after the fire started. By the time they opened it in 2014, most of the town was abandoned. They were supposed to wait until 2016 to open the capsule, but vandals, who stole signs and other memorabilia from the town, also attempted to take the time capsule.

  So the town dug it up early and revealed the contents to the public. Unfortunately, water had seeped in and destroyed all of the paper documents as well as several artifacts, but many items survived. Those items included a miner's helmet and lamp, as well as a pair of bloomers signed by the men of the town.
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  (#10) Centralia Joined The Ranks Of The Municipalis Non Grata

  Centralia joined the ranks of communities deemed unsafe for human habitation. It had all but become a ghost town, much like the communities of Times Beach, Missouri, and Love Canal, New York.

  The town of Times Beach had a dust problem in the 1970s, so they hired a man to spray the streets with motor oil. Unfortunately, he laced it with the dangerous chemical dioxin. The exposure to dioxin led to the mysterious deaths of horses and small animals as well as numerous medical issues among the human residents.

  In Love Canal, a small community and school were built over a former chemical waste dumpsite. The drums of chemicals began to leak and seriously affected the residents. There were higher numbers of birth defects and miscarriages, children came home with burns on their hands, and 11 of the 82 chemical compounds released were suspected carcinogens.

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