The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Coal Mine Fire In Pa.
I just found out about the coal mine in Centralia Pennsylvania today on the history channel. They said that it has enough fuel to burn for 1,000 years. I was going to see if any body on here has heard anything about this or if you have ever been there.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Vanessa Stoffer on
-
They just had an updated story on it in my local newspaper it was cross published from the AP. The story can be found here http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-centr...
-
Permalink Reply by Seth Yahraes on
-
At the beginning the fire could have been extinguished while it was small. However the govt wouldnt put the money down to put it out. Now the feds are buying all the remaining bulidings. There is about 5 houses and 10 people left in the boro alnong with the firehouse and municple building. The fire started in the town dump. The govt stepped in when people started getting sick from the fumes. The fire has enough fuel to last for hundreds of years. Water was tried but it turned to steam before it even reached the fire. Now all they can do is leave the town.
-
-
Sealing the mine will not work. The fir has caues cracks in the ground and vents have been drilled. You'd have to seal basically that secion of Columbia County for it to smother itself.
-
Permalink Reply by Eric B on
-
Ive known about this for years , i live and have lived in Pennsylvania for years , the town of Centralia is fairly well known in the coal mine region even south of it
-
Permalink Reply by blair4630 on
-
Wow, this is just a few counties east of me, and until seeing this thread had never heard of the place or the fire. Just looked it up on wikipedia. Interesting.
-
-
Yeah, it's amazing what's right in your backyard and you don't even realize it.
-
Permalink Reply by John L. VanAuken on
-
I dont remember much about it but my grandfather took me there as a kid. He showed me a few places where steam or smoke rises from the ground. Also there are only a few people still left in Centralia now and they to are being forced to leave, but I think the elderly will be alowed to live there life out, then the town will finnaly vannish into the past. Most of the town is gone and just plots of land where buildings once stood remain. My grandfather worked around mines all his life, and remembers many fires. Coal burns a long time in mines for there are many man made vents and natural vents for it to breath. I dont know if I remember exactly how he said it, but he said it is kind of like a pit BBQ put the coals and wood on light it and cover it up simmiler effects burns till fuel is used up and thats that you dont put them out they just go out on there own.
-
Permalink Reply by John Rulli Jr. on
-
Interesting! The town I live in is a old mine town. The mines under and around my house have been burning for longer than i've been alive (im 27) They named the fire "the Rulli mine fire" which is really cool because they named the fire after my fam!!!!
-
Permalink Reply by DUST on
-
Just to give you guys an update....I have taken command though I'm not on scene yet. I picked up Ralph so we are heading down from Michigan and are wearing our I FIGHT WHAT YOU FEAR t-shirts over our turn out gear, they were even harder to get on than those pesky traffic vests.
-
Permalink Reply by Jonathan on
-
Anyone ever see the horror movie, based off of the playstation/ps2 game, Silent Hill? The movie used the history of Centralia for its story. It wasn't uncommon for the town to use old mine sites as landfills and then burn all of the trash later on when full. The government was supposed to make certain all mine shafts and vents/cracks/etc were sealed shut completely. Unfortunately they half-butted it and the fire was able to burn down to the coal vein. The type of coal is called anthracite and the vein is so large running for miles and miles that it will continue to burn for hundreds of years. Its said that the government declared imminent domain in order to acquire the land and the rights to all that coal. But thats another story in itself. It's crazy how a fire can continue to burn for so long.
-
-
Not to worry we can go back for it...it's been burning this long what's a few more hours... Besides it's another exscuse for us to run emergency traffic in my pov. Damn it the battery died again! I knew we shoudn't have added your emergency dash lights to all the ones I already had plugged in...
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- Next ›
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
