Spotted online earlier this week...
The story of a town called Centralia in Pennsylvania, USA, which in 1962 began burning rubbish in an abandoned mine.
Unfortunately, the mine led to a coal seam which, with the constant burning, ignited the coal.
Officials thought they'd out it out but a few days later the coal re-ignited. Since then there's been an ongoing battle that saw the town evacuated in the 80's due to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
The fire still burns today - the only visible signs to visitors being steam vents and warning signs. Smoke can still be seen rising up though cracks in the road.
A 1983 study indicated that the fire could continue to burn for another 250 years, affecting 37,000 acres and possibly endangering other nearby towns.
You can read the full fascinating story at Sweet Solar Home.
You can read the entire history of the Centralia mine fire in my new book, Fire Underground: The Ongoing Tragedy of the Centralia Mine Fire (Globe Pequot Press 2009) by David DeKok. Thanks!
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