On May 27, 1962, a small landfill fire in Centralia, Pennsylvania, sparked something much bigger: an underground coal seam caught fire and has been burning ever since. What started as a routine cleanup turned into a relentless mine fire that's still active more than 60 years later.
Toxic gases, sinkholes, and health hazards eventually forced most of Centralia's residents to evacuate. After multiple failed attempts to extinguish the fire, the town was officially condemned in 1992. Today, only a few residents remain, while the fire continues to burn beneath their feet. It's estimated to be advancing at about 75 feet per year and could smolder for another 250 years.
