photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Bill Tobin | profile | all galleries >> Centralia Mine Fire tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Birds of Pennsylvania | Montour Preserve | Nikon D70 Infrared | Insects/Bugs | Flora | Fauna | Black And White/Duotone | Smoke | Horses | Rickett's Glen, PA | Penn State | Bucknell University | Centralia Mine Fire | Miscellaneous | '05 Gravity Games FMX | 2005 NBL Nationals | '05 Gravity Games Vert | People | Clouds and Sunsets | Photo A Day November '05 | Photo A Day December '05 | Photo a Day January '06 | Photo a Day February '06 | Photo A Day March '06 | South Pittsburg, TN National Cornbread Festival | Chickamauga National Military Park | Birds of Tennessee...Mostly Herons! | Knoxville Zoo | Fireworks | Chattanooga Cityscapes | Tennessee Aquarium | Brainerd Levee | Standifer Gap Marsh | TVA Chickamauga Dam | Raccoon Mountain | San Francisco | Operation Migration | HDR Gallery | Chattanooga Nature Center/Reflection Riding | Suck Creek | Richland Creek/Laurel Falls | Pinky's Point

Centralia Mine Fire

Centralia was once a thriving Anthracite coal mining town until the early 1960's. That's when someone set fire to some garbage in an illegal dump outside town. The fire ignited an exposed vein of coal at the ground's surface, and the fire spread to the town's underground coal mines.

The fire has been burning out of control underneath the town since then. The federal government bought most of the homes under eminent domain and demolished them. Only the most stubborn remain--20 people.

The land above the fires is subject to subsidence and collapse, and gaseous smoke emanates from vents throughout the area. The ground is too hot to touch (I know this first hand) and surface fires are not uncommon. Those who fly over the area at night can see the ground glowing red hot at times.

Highway 61, shown in some of my pictures, had to be rerouted because of huge cracks (2-3 feet deep) and buckling. Many of the trees are either dead or bleached white because of the noxious carbon monoxide gases. I decided it was time to go when these gases gave me a dizzy spell.

There's not much hope for Centralia. Nobody knows how to stop the fires. There's enough mine timber and coal in the ground to keep the fire burning for at least a century. Plans to keep the fire from spreading to nearby coal veins have been discussed, but nothing has been done yet. Neighboring coal towns fear the same fate.

For more information, visit http://www.u-town.com/centralia or http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/centralia.htm
RoadScar.jpg
RoadScar.jpg
Deadside.jpg
Deadside.jpg
Collapsing.jpg
Collapsing.jpg
RoadClosed.jpg
RoadClosed.jpg
RoadFracture.jpg
RoadFracture.jpg
RisingFromTheRoad.jpg
RisingFromTheRoad.jpg
RoadsideCasualty.jpg
RoadsideCasualty.jpg
Casualty.jpg
Casualty.jpg
HotEarth.jpg
HotEarth.jpg
Hillside2.jpg
Hillside2.jpg
RisingSmoke.jpg
RisingSmoke.jpg
ThreeHomes.jpg
ThreeHomes.jpg
Hillside.jpg
Hillside.jpg
Vent.jpg
Vent.jpg
Smoke.jpg
Smoke.jpg