Centralia, PA - The Real Silent Hill - Underground Mine Fire & More News Info
03-09-2010, 11:30 AM
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Centralia, PA - The Real Silent Hill - Underground Mine Fire & More News Info For those who don't know, Centralia is a mining town located in Pennsylvania's Anthracite Coal Region. This type of coal is the longest burning coal in the world. Centralia had a large population in the thousands back in the day. In 1962 a massive, underground mine fire was sparked when the dump was lit on fire. The fire extended to an open coal vein, moved deep down into the earth, and the rest is history. It's estimated that the fire could burn for another 250-1000 years, or more. It may also spread to neighboring Ashland and/or Mt. Carmel due to the connected coal deposits far below. The fire has become so widespread over the years that the government paid to relocate the residents. Nearly all moved out. However, some did remain and the towns current population stands around 7. There are a few houses, an auto repair facility, a fire/police/maintenance building, three cemeteries, and a church. Part of the highway that runs through town, Route 61, was severely damaged due to mine subsidence. It was repaired several times, but has continued to become more unstable. The highway was closed and a new, smaller route, was built to bypass the martian like terrain.
This trip was more of a wheeling excursion than seeing the sights. I've been to Centralia quite a bit, usually 3-5 times a year at least. We did a quick 5 min stop in the area with extreme subsidence. This has some active vents with surface temperatures into the 100's*F. Old energy (Anthracite Coal) is now right next to energy of the future, that of the wind farm on the ridge. My Nikon D2x, used for a lot of these shots, is broken, so I had to manually adjust shutter speed, aperture, focus, etc. (fun):
We then moved to the destroyed portion of the old Highway 61 and grabbed some shots:
After a rather expedited walk around (since we've been there several times before before), we headed off to the other side of town. Our goal was to find area's of open fire, that have been documented in the past. This is easier said than done. We were able to find some prior area's which had been photographed in 1995, but the fires movement since then had diminished the heat & fire on this side of town (Top 2 photos from http://krygier.owu.edu):
We decided to head across the street, and do some exploring of new (to us) trails. We ended up along the top of ridges for the majority of our day. Vast overlooks abound and made for tons of great places to stop and take in the sites while snacking on food from Sheetz:
We also found a decent powerline trail that was technical and quite fun:
We ended up outside of Girardville, next to a massive quarry with quite the view!
We spent some time there and headed back into the setting sun. After finding new trails on our return route, darkness upon us, my HID lights really shined bright! Every time I wheel at night, I am constantly reminded how important lighting is! When you have a large, sheer drop on your right, and a steep hill to your left, it's usually helpful if you can see far down the trail, and to the sides! We popped back out onto Big Mine Run, reconnected sway bars, and headed back to Ashland for a re-supply, then made the 1 hour, 30 minute trek back home. Another great trip!
More news:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?se...cal&id=7320222
This trip was more of a wheeling excursion than seeing the sights. I've been to Centralia quite a bit, usually 3-5 times a year at least. We did a quick 5 min stop in the area with extreme subsidence. This has some active vents with surface temperatures into the 100's*F. Old energy (Anthracite Coal) is now right next to energy of the future, that of the wind farm on the ridge. My Nikon D2x, used for a lot of these shots, is broken, so I had to manually adjust shutter speed, aperture, focus, etc. (fun):
We then moved to the destroyed portion of the old Highway 61 and grabbed some shots:
After a rather expedited walk around (since we've been there several times before before), we headed off to the other side of town. Our goal was to find area's of open fire, that have been documented in the past. This is easier said than done. We were able to find some prior area's which had been photographed in 1995, but the fires movement since then had diminished the heat & fire on this side of town (Top 2 photos from http://krygier.owu.edu):
We decided to head across the street, and do some exploring of new (to us) trails. We ended up along the top of ridges for the majority of our day. Vast overlooks abound and made for tons of great places to stop and take in the sites while snacking on food from Sheetz:
We also found a decent powerline trail that was technical and quite fun:
We ended up outside of Girardville, next to a massive quarry with quite the view!
We spent some time there and headed back into the setting sun. After finding new trails on our return route, darkness upon us, my HID lights really shined bright! Every time I wheel at night, I am constantly reminded how important lighting is! When you have a large, sheer drop on your right, and a steep hill to your left, it's usually helpful if you can see far down the trail, and to the sides! We popped back out onto Big Mine Run, reconnected sway bars, and headed back to Ashland for a re-supply, then made the 1 hour, 30 minute trek back home. Another great trip!
More news:
AP By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - March 9, 2010 -- The few remaining residents of a Pennsylvania coal town decimated by a 48-year-old underground mine fire claim in court papers that a "massive fraud" is being perpetrated against Centralia by parties seeking to grab the mineral rights to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of coal.
In a filing late Monday, four property owners and the borough asked a state appeals court to block Pennsylvania officials from seizing their homes. The state condemned the homes in the early 1990s but only recently moved to oust the remaining holdouts.
Centralia all but ceased to exist in the 1980s as the mine fire spread underneath homes and businesses. More than 1,000 people moved out.
The holdouts say they have evidence that the fire isn't a threat and may never have endangered the town.
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - March 9, 2010 -- The few remaining residents of a Pennsylvania coal town decimated by a 48-year-old underground mine fire claim in court papers that a "massive fraud" is being perpetrated against Centralia by parties seeking to grab the mineral rights to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of coal.
In a filing late Monday, four property owners and the borough asked a state appeals court to block Pennsylvania officials from seizing their homes. The state condemned the homes in the early 1990s but only recently moved to oust the remaining holdouts.
Centralia all but ceased to exist in the 1980s as the mine fire spread underneath homes and businesses. More than 1,000 people moved out.
The holdouts say they have evidence that the fire isn't a threat and may never have endangered the town.
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
03-09-2010, 11:56 AM
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And still more in depth:
Pa. coal town above mine fire claims massive fraud
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM (AP) – 55 minutes ago
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The few remaining residents of a Pennsylvania coal town decimated by a 48-year-old underground mine fire claim in court papers that a "massive fraud" is being perpetrated by parties seeking to grab the mineral rights to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of anthracite coal.
In a filing late Monday, four property owners and the borough of Centralia asked a state appeals court to block Pennsylvania officials from seizing their homes. The state condemned the homes in the early 1990s but only recently moved to oust the remaining holdouts.
The state's attorney on Tuesday dismissed the residents' claims as "conspiracy theories" and predicted they would be dismissed.
A fire at the town dump in 1962 ignited an exposed coal vein, and Centralia was all but wiped off the map in the 1980s as the slow-burning fire spread underneath homes and businesses. More than 1,000 people moved out and more than 500 structures were knocked down under a government relocation program. Now only a few houses remain on a mostly empty street grid.
The property owners said they have evidence that the fire is "almost out" and no longer endangers their homes, if it ever did. Data kept by the Department of Environmental Protection show that underground temperatures have gone down by "several hundred percent" since measurements began. Further, a 2008 DEP study found that emissions of toxic gases are not a problem, according to court documents.
State environmental officials, though, insist the fire remains a threat to the residents' health. The blaze has likely followed the coal seam deeper underground — reducing temperatures in certain monitoring boreholes — but gases from the fire can still accumulate in houses atop the fire, they say.
Property owners also claim in court documents that their town was ruined "in the face of evidence that suggests that a massive fraud may have been perpetrated" by parties "motivated primarily by interests in what is conservatively estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars of some of the best anthracite coal in the world."
Their attorney, Andrew Ostrowski, said Tuesday that the borough owns the mineral rights. Once Centralia ceases to exist, the rights go to the state, which could sell them to a coal company to operate "one of the most productive strip mine operations in the country," he said.
Steve Fishman, attorney for the state Department of Community and Economic Development, the agency carrying out eminent domain, disputed that Centralia owns the coal underneath the town, saying it's not clear who possesses the mineral rights but that he knows of no legal document giving the borough an ownership stake.
He predicted Commonwealth Court would toss the residents' petition, noting it raises claims nearly 20 years after the fact.
"I've never doubted they would try this, since their pattern has always been simply to delay, hoping that at some point we'll simply go away," Fishman said.
As far as the fire, he said, "I don't think there's anyone who seriously believes that the fire is out, and that it does not pose a threat."
Ostrowski's law partner, Don Bailey, a former congressman and state auditor general, is working on a separate federal civil rights lawsuit in hopes of recovering "seed money" to rebuild the borough, Ostrowski said.
"It's a novel and unique case, and there will have to be some novel and unique remedies to apply to it," Ostrowski said.
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM (AP) – 55 minutes ago
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The few remaining residents of a Pennsylvania coal town decimated by a 48-year-old underground mine fire claim in court papers that a "massive fraud" is being perpetrated by parties seeking to grab the mineral rights to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of anthracite coal.
In a filing late Monday, four property owners and the borough of Centralia asked a state appeals court to block Pennsylvania officials from seizing their homes. The state condemned the homes in the early 1990s but only recently moved to oust the remaining holdouts.
The state's attorney on Tuesday dismissed the residents' claims as "conspiracy theories" and predicted they would be dismissed.
A fire at the town dump in 1962 ignited an exposed coal vein, and Centralia was all but wiped off the map in the 1980s as the slow-burning fire spread underneath homes and businesses. More than 1,000 people moved out and more than 500 structures were knocked down under a government relocation program. Now only a few houses remain on a mostly empty street grid.
The property owners said they have evidence that the fire is "almost out" and no longer endangers their homes, if it ever did. Data kept by the Department of Environmental Protection show that underground temperatures have gone down by "several hundred percent" since measurements began. Further, a 2008 DEP study found that emissions of toxic gases are not a problem, according to court documents.
State environmental officials, though, insist the fire remains a threat to the residents' health. The blaze has likely followed the coal seam deeper underground — reducing temperatures in certain monitoring boreholes — but gases from the fire can still accumulate in houses atop the fire, they say.
Property owners also claim in court documents that their town was ruined "in the face of evidence that suggests that a massive fraud may have been perpetrated" by parties "motivated primarily by interests in what is conservatively estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars of some of the best anthracite coal in the world."
Their attorney, Andrew Ostrowski, said Tuesday that the borough owns the mineral rights. Once Centralia ceases to exist, the rights go to the state, which could sell them to a coal company to operate "one of the most productive strip mine operations in the country," he said.
Steve Fishman, attorney for the state Department of Community and Economic Development, the agency carrying out eminent domain, disputed that Centralia owns the coal underneath the town, saying it's not clear who possesses the mineral rights but that he knows of no legal document giving the borough an ownership stake.
He predicted Commonwealth Court would toss the residents' petition, noting it raises claims nearly 20 years after the fact.
"I've never doubted they would try this, since their pattern has always been simply to delay, hoping that at some point we'll simply go away," Fishman said.
As far as the fire, he said, "I don't think there's anyone who seriously believes that the fire is out, and that it does not pose a threat."
Ostrowski's law partner, Don Bailey, a former congressman and state auditor general, is working on a separate federal civil rights lawsuit in hopes of recovering "seed money" to rebuild the borough, Ostrowski said.
"It's a novel and unique case, and there will have to be some novel and unique remedies to apply to it," Ostrowski said.
03-17-2010, 03:46 PM
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It's really nothing super special. It's definitely a worth visit with an off-road capable vehicle. If you're into strange things, it's also a cool place. Some people go expecting a lot more than what's there. Good news is, there are mine tours 2 miles away, and the amusement part with the best theme park food for the last 8 years? running is about 15 minutes away!
Oh, and thanks!
Oh, and thanks!
03-18-2010, 02:37 PM
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Ya thats up where im originally from.. Knobels amusement resort nice small park free to get in we used to head there after raceing Friday nights.. Also not far from where you were is my old home track Numidia Dragway should check it out next time your up that way its only a few miles from Centraila.
05-24-2011, 02:21 PM
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My g/f and I love Knoebels. It's our favorite amusement park. Barely ever lines and if there are, it's only a few minutes. None of that Six Flags crap with 2-3 hour waits... wtf is that?!
