Scorched earth and smoking coal cover the landscape on a hill side in Centralia, PA.

In 1962, a group of volunteer fireman in Centralia were hired to burn some municipal trash in an open landfill in one of the town’s cemeteries. What they didn’t know is that the landfill had a coal seem that met the surface and the fire ignited the coal, starting an underground fire that eventually over the years, caused the abandonment of the town. The fire burns to this day and has enough coal fueling it underground for several hundred years to come.

There are several excellent books on Centralia that really give a detailed account of the fire, the lives of the people of Centralia before and during the fire and the snail’s pace that government bureaucracy operates at. I, personally like “The Day The Earth Caved In” by Joan Quigley. She really paints a thorough picture of the lives of all involved in this tragic story.

There are several good videos on Centralia and the underground mine fire on You Tube including this one. Check it out for a good overview of the town and the fire. NOTE: They have the 1962 population wrong in this video but it’s still pretty good none the less.

I took this on Saturday afternoon 3-14-2009.

Odd Fellows Cemetery in Centralia, PA.

In 1962, a group of volunteer fireman in Centralia were hired to burn some municipal trash in an open landfill next to this cemetery. What they didn’t know is that the landfill had a coal seem that met the surface and the burning trash ignited the coal, starting an underground fire that eventually over the years, caused the abandonment of the town. The fire burns to this day and has enough coal fueling it underground for several hundred years to come.

There are several excellent books on Centralia that really give a detailed account of the fire, the lives of the people of Centralia before and during the fire and the snail’s pace that government bureaucracy operates at. I, personally like “The Day The Earth Caved In” by Joan Quigley. She really paints a thorough picture of the lives of all involved in this tragic story.

There are several good videos on Centralia and the underground mine fire on You Tube including this one. Check it out for a good overview of the town and the fire. NOTE: They have the 1962 population wrong in this video but it’s still pretty good none the less.

I took this on Saturday afternoon 3-14-2009. Processed as a single RAW image through Photomatix Pro to make an HDR.

These are the decaying remains of the miner’s wash house in Byrnesville, Pennsylvania. The wash house was part of the Raven Run Coal Company. The building was once used as a garage for the company ambulance, a lamp house that serviced miner’s lamps used in the mines and a place for miners to wash after they finished working. This particular shot is of the ambulance garage area.

Byrnesville was a small town located between Ashland and Centralia, PA. It was inhabited mostly by mine workers and their families. Because of the underground mine fire that has been burning beneath Centralia since 1962, Byrnesville residents were forced to abandon their town and the last home in the town was demolished in 1996.

There is a web site that details the history of the town in words and photos located here.

I took this on Saturday afternoon 3-14-2009. Processed as a single RAW image through Photomatix Pro to make an HDR.