The wildfires that ravaged California are a huge headache for Americans, not only bringing huge economic losses, but also threatening the living environment of local residents. The problem of wildfires has been like a maggot wrapped around California, usa, and in the face of such a cruel natural disaster, human self-defense ability seems extremely pale. Centralia is an ancient town in Pennsylvania, Usa, which was founded in 1866 and prospered because of its abundant coal resources, but eventually became a "ghost town" under an unexpected fire.
What kind of fire could plunge a small town into the abyss?
All this has to start with the rich coal resources of Centrelia.
In 1842, a mining engineer discovered this "coal treasure land" after surveying, and then he came here with his family to develop it. In just a dozen years, countless streets and villages have been planned here, leaping from sparsely populated wilderness to prosperous towns. Many coal companies poured into Centralia after receiving the news, and in order to facilitate the transportation of mined coal to the major markets in Pennsylvania, the locals built the mine railroad in 1854.
According to the statistical records of the American population, 1890 was the peak of The population of Centrea, with a total of about 2760 people. The inhabitants of the lucrative coal mining market became very wealthy, and they built a total of 27 taverns, 5 high-end hotels, 2 opera houses, 7 elegant churches in the town, in addition to countless grocery shops. The smiles on people's faces are enough to explain the prosperity of the town, but the god of fate once again made a big joke with people, and no one could imagine that the rich coal mine would become the fuse that would destroy the town in the future.
In October 1929, the stock market on Wall Street in the United States collapsed, affecting several coal mining companies in the small town of Centrelia. But illegal miners, overwhelmed by profits, are not content to fail, and not only continue to mine coal in idle mines, but also set their sights on the pillars of coal that support the mines. This series of operations eventually led to the collapse of many mines and bought the groundwork for the subsequent catastrophe.
One day in May 1962, while cleaning up and burning garbage, the townspeople accidentally ignited a thunder fire in the underground coal mine, causing a huge fire, and more seriously, the fire spread to most of the underground coal mines.
The continuous burning of underground coal mines has caused the temperature of the entire town to rise sharply, large areas of vegetation have died because their roots have been burned, and nearly 1.6 million square meters of land is emitting toxic white smoke... Although the local residents were the first to organize disaster relief, the interior of the mine had become extremely complex due to the collapse of the coal mine before, and the fire could not be extinguished since it was ignited. (You can imagine Thatrilla is like food on a coal stove.)
The unexpected underground fire has been burning for more than half a century, and the local government has spent nearly $7 million in the next dozen years, which has failed to seal mine openings, fill sand and gravel, divert water to irrigation pits, or even dig trenches to isolate deposits.
The continuous burning underground fire continues to engulf the land, and no one can predict when the land will collapse, but can only watch the poisonous white smoke rising from the cracks in the ground, and the former home gradually loses its vitality. As for the specific reasons why the fire could not be extinguished, it is the same as the underground coal fire in Wengen Mountain in Australia, which has been burning for 6,000 years, and some experts predict that the fire in Centrelia will burn for another 250 years.
In 2017, There were only 5 inhabitants left in Centrelia, and its name and driving routes had long since been erased from the map. Today, There is almost no ruin in Centrelia, and the pavement that has been baked by fire all year round has also cracked and deformed, which has been called "the entrance to hell" by the world.
The cut-off and abandoned Route 61 is littered with graffiti, all out of anger and resentment that locals have tried to save their homes but have to leave with regret.
Although Sinterella has become a deserted "ghost town", it still exudes a mysterious appeal, especially for some lovers of literature and art. In their eyes, The town of Santellaria under the Appalachian Mountains is a hell on earth, and it is said that the screenwriters of the movie "Silent Hill" found inspiration here, and it is also the filming location of the horror game "Silent Hill".
As reporters interview the remaining residents, asking why they didn't leave with them and how they spent each day, Centella is gradually described as a post-apocalyptic wasteland, an abyss of greedy desire everywhere. Tourists who venture here can only feel people's complicated feelings about it through the graffiti on Route 61, because it is difficult for everyone to tell whether this is a natural disaster or not.