page_title: Centralia mine fire
section_title: Aftermath
hierarchical_section_title: Centralia mine fire / Aftermath
caption_attribution_description: English: Abandoned section of Pennsylvania Route 61, destroyed by the Centralia mine fire. The highway was re-routed around the disaster area.
context_page_description: The Centralia mine fire is a coal-seam fire that has been burning underneath the borough of Centralia, Pennsylvania, United States, since at least May 27, 1962. Its original cause is still a matter of debate. It is burning in underground coal mines at depths of up to 300 feet over an 8-mile stretch of 3,700 acres. At its current rate, it could continue to burn for over 250 years. It has caused most of the town to be abandoned: the population dwindled from around 1,500 at the time the fire started to 5 in 2017, and most of the buildings have been razed.
context_section_description: In 1984, Congress allocated more than $42 million for relocation efforts.  Most of the residents accepted buyout offers and dispersed far away from the area (data from the 1990 United States Census shows that the nearby towns continued to lose population at the same rate as previous decades, suggesting the Centralians did not locate there). A few families opted to stay despite urgings from Pennsylvania officials.
  In 1992, Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey invoked eminent domain on all properties in the borough, condemning all the buildings within. A subsequent legal effort by residents to have the decision reversed failed. In 2002, the U.S. Postal Service revoked Centralia's ZIP code, 17927.  In 2009, Governor Ed Rendell began the formal eviction of Centralia residents. In July 2012, the last handful of residents in Centralia lost their appeal of a court decision upholding eminent domain proceedings, and were ordered again to leave. State and local officials reached an agreement with the seven remaining residents on October 29, 2013, allowing them to live out their lives there, after which the rights of their properties will be taken through eminent domain.
  The Centralia mine fire also extended beneath the town of Byrnesville, a few miles to the south. The town had to be abandoned and leveled.
  The Centralia area has now grown to be a tourist attraction. Visitors come to see the smoke on Centralia's empty streets and the abandoned portion of PA Route 61, popularly referred to as the Graffiti Highway.
  As of April 2020, efforts began to cover up Graffiti Highway by the private owner of the road. 
  The fire and its effects were featured in 2013 on America Declassified on the Travel Channel, and on Radiolab's Cities episode.
caption: The location at which the former roadbed of Pennsylvania Route 61 terminates due to the mine fire.
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