Centralia, Pa Residents Finally Forced to Leave Coal Fire

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5 February 2010

Centralia, Pa is quickly becoming a ghost town. In 1962, the coal mining town almost perished when a fire was started in the mine. The cause of the fire is unknown. Today, the fire is still burning underground.  

The fire and the dangerous carbon monoxide it brings caused most of the town's residents to flee many years ago. According to the Los Angeles Times, in 2002, the town's zipcode was eliminated. In 1983, Congress appropriated money to acquire and demolish all the buildings in Centralia. But still, there were stragglers who refused to leave. Eleven stubborn residents remain. Now, it looks like the town will finally be abandoned. The 11 holdout residents are being forced to leave by state officials . It looks as though the last residents will have to be escorted off the premises.

Visitors like to tour the creepy ghost town to see building remnants and steam escape from underground. Centralia was also the inspiration for the scary video game, "Silent Hill."

"I'd always hoped the town would come back and be rebuilt," one of the town residents, John Lokitis, told the LA Times, "but I guess that's never going to happen." Lokitis has been a vocal proponent of preserving Centralia for years.  

Related tags: ghost town, pa