Looking back at the Centralia coal fire: a synopsis of its present status

Centralia is in the anthracite region of eastern Pennsylvania. The town is part of the Western Middle Field, a large synclinorium in Columbia and Schuylkill Counties. Residents of Centralia set fire to a garbage dump in 1962 and in the process, ignited the Buck Mountain coal bed. Fractured and moderately dipping strata at the site permitted air to circulate into the subsurface, thereby promoting combustion and making it difficult to extinguish the Centralia fire. As the fire advanced during the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, it did so along four fronts. However, the fire appears to be advancing on only two fronts today. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is currently monitoring the fire. Fire associated with the first or cemetery front is advancing approximately 20 m/year. Although attempts were made to fight the fire, they were unsuccessful for logistical and monetary reasons. Most residents of Centralia relocated with the assistance of funds approved by the U.S. Congress and disbursed by the state of Pennsylvania. The inexperience of community leaders in working with state bureaucracy contributed to the difficulties of fighting the fire. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.