"CENTRALIA" MODERN MARVELS ENGINEERING DISASTERS 7 AIRED 2004 CENTRALIA, PA MINE FIRE

HISTORY CHANNEL - MODERN MARVELS ENGINEERING DISASTERS 7

[@GiordanDiodato]

The real life Silent Hill.

[@MrBmxbrawler]

No it is not shut the fuck up with that. Its a huge government conspiracy to get the anthracite coal. Use your head. 3/4 of the worlds anthracite is in centralia PA. Now it is allll the government's coal now that the pushed everyone out completely.

[@janiznick]

My uncle worked in that mine for years, he died of black lung. He was only 35. My mothers family was from that area, my mother died of lung cancer. She was only 54. My mothers sister died at 37 lung cancer and her 3 brothers all died of cancer. I lived there for my high school years i am 54. I pray i dont die like they did.

[@unknownspecie6196]

Niki, do you love me?

[@jorgecintron8313]

Sorry for your lost,may they RIP!

[@P100D.]

God bless you and your family. I live near by now. Now is about to be 2020 and it still burning Dammm

[@Marcel_Audubon]

@@unknownspecie6196 guess not.

[@johnvonhorn2942]

I grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania which isn't far away. We also had three mile island back in the 1970's

[@FlyerHockeyPride]

Three Mile Island was south of Harrisburg...Harrisburg's about an hour from Allentown if I'm not mistaken and I'd know this because I'm moving to nearby Whitehall in another month or two....

[@kakashi76767]

Three more island is a couple hours away from Allentown. I live in Reading and went to Moravian College n Bethlehem. You're a fucking liar or a dumbass

[@Marcel_Audubon]

Irrelevant to this story as Punxsutawney Phil

[@MrOlea]

Unfortunately John Lokitis was finally forced to move out, and I believe his home was demolished.

[@Styxswimmer]

While it's sad he was evicted, he moved on, met a woman, married and had a child. So some good came from it

[@guestahole9302]

So the firemen set the town on fire. (First responders, LOL.)

[@dmars7264]

IT'S ALL GONE NOW. SO SAD.

[@TheTyrantCast]

At least it gave birth to a great gaming series 😂

[@Marcel_Audubon]

One less hick town

[@ZipTieGuyItRhymes]

2019 is the year, I watched another video that said the Fed Govt. Condemned the whole town...

[@garryrainey6300]

I was covering this part of PA for ServisStar a hardware company, and saw this first hand. It was sobering.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

but then you stirred up another pitcher of martinis and fixed that, right?

[@iCharmCity410]

I feel John's pain but he is seriously in denial. The town will never be what it was. Centrailia had it's golden years as with a lot of places but it's time to move on. There's nothing left.

[@Cambpro]

@iCharmCity410; He isn't living there because he thinks it is going to thrive again, dumbass, he is living there because that is where he feels at home...because that IS his home. Who TF are you to cast judgment on where someone wants to live? How is this even remotely affecting you? Live and let live, asshole.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

@CamSay can't decide if you're an imbecile or merely a moron ... can you help me out?

[@randomtraveler9854]

I'm not from that area but I studied the history and heard that John Lokitis fellow used to maintain the town single handed long after the people left by mowing the grass where houses stood and hanging Christmas decorations. The Pennsylvania government (that owns the entire town) was trying to evict him for years. In 2009 he finally gave in and moved to a nearby town.

[@louiehouston4389]

That's hella sad 😞

[@Yourmomlovesmethough]

@Jimo lol and dont talk shit and then try to block somebody beta male.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

guessing he's single

[@kennethwallace4338]

He was forced out actually. He did a doc to prove a point, anger some people up the latter who decided he had to go, drove a bulldozer right to his door.

[@jeffreyohler2599]

@Jimo I'm 35 now. I can still remember all the adults telling me and my friends to stop using a particular word as it wasn't a so called 'real' word and that using it 'makes you sound uneducated'. As Irony would have it,the authorities had to give in and officialy acknowledge it and enter it into Dictionaries. Then the adults felt it was ok to use the word as well,since it was official now. 😆 In fact, 'Ain't' is one of the most 'Hella' used words in the English language today.

[@bantalee2002]

Well,.turn the whole lot into a power plant then! put it to use! geothermal of a different kind.

[@davezimmerman1510]

GreatScott they don’t do anything about it anymore Stop the air supply and fill the mines with water

[@davezimmerman1510]

A geothermal plant is a great idea but they won’t do anything with it use it or put it out

[@yakamarezlife]

It's too hot to use geothermal the pipes will melt

[@fadrium1464]

Geothermal energy need a lot of water to work, and water is the first problem when they want to fight the fire.

[@nicke1903]

@@yakamarezlife just means you can dig shallower wells...but you don't want to feed it anymore O2 than its got.....imagine in 2019 what the volume of Coal burnt vs Coal to burn is there now. You need to avoid disturbing the Thermal Layering too rapidly to avoid a Steam Explosion. This fire has been in a sort of Incipient/Growth Stage for along time now, it's interesting to me to how much longer this can go on without something bad happening as a result.

[@PascalKayser]

there was a hole here. It's gone now.

[@bigkev2084]

last i heard is that theres only 5 people left in Centralia

[@348frank348]

it's -7

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

I was there last week. There's 10 people left.

[@Penoatle]

10 people and a creepy guy with a pyramid shaped helmet and a big ass knife. That guy only comes out when the fog rolls in.

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

Penoatle Are you talking about Frank? He's harmless.

[@Dantewinning]

+Penoatle lol

[@Tempe1962]

Seems the more they tried to fix it,the worse it got.Brilliant.

[@davezimmerman1510]

A.B. They just didn’t give a sh t. And still don’t !

[@dwetick1]

Great grouse and turkey hunting in Centralia.

[@Tempe1962]

Until you fall in a sinkhole.

[@brake1adam]

I think this still burns today? WOW... ugly business... what a story... This is crazy...

[@davezimmerman1510]

Adam Brake yes it still is burning

[@erin19030]

A Catholic priest from the Irish Catholic Church, St. Ignatius in 1874 cursed the town and stated all would burn except the church. Joke was on him, the church Didn't burn but all the parishioners left.

[@rhino2960]

the residents just don't get how massive, complicated, and expensive fighting a mine fire really is, and they don't have the money to put the fire out any more than the local government does, if I had to make an uneducated guess, I'd say the fire would take tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars to fully put out, and the area would take decades after that and tens or hundreds of millions more to repair the damage just reaching the fire would cause.

[@Styxswimmer]

The last estimated cost was 1 billion.

[@geoboe84]

I was there last December just after brief snowstorm. No fire, no smoke, nothing. Ground was completely covered, meaning fire must've completely burnt out or moved on.

[@AmericanRailfan-gb8oq]

geoboe84 I was there 1 week ago and there was steam coming from the ground, and I saw the flames, the fire is still burning

[@Seveneleven44]

Lived in the coal region my entire life. Some days the steam is bad, some days it’s not there.

[@whatabouttheholodomor3808]

@Brooke Miller your full of poop

[@davezimmerman1510]

geoboe84 no , it’s not out

[@MrBmxbrawler]

I wonder which couple of guys are responsible for eliminating the entire town

[@theruffedge94]

Anyone ever think of injecting at the deepest part of the mines Halon in minimal amounts ? Come from the back of it at an angle like they drill offshore oil

[@deafmusician2]

Last I heard, there was only 4 ppl left

[@momonomo8431]

create man made river... 😂✌🏻

[@LarryBlowers]

with all the places looking to dump CO2 why not simply snuff it out with CO2? solve a couple problems at once,,

[@Styxswimmer]

Because it's a coal mine fire. It's hundreds of feet underground and there are hundreds of paths to take with the coal seams. You could never smother it like that

[@LarryBlowers]

@@Styxswimmer and that's exactly what type of formations they use for fracking,, deep underground hollow cavities.

[@Styxswimmer]

@LarryBlowers another problem is what the govt did. Remember the bore holes they dug to monitor the fire? Once the fire passed those areas, the bore holes became oxygen intakes. Ie, they made it worse. They dug like 1000 of those.

[@indridcold8433]

I think the firemen were probationary firemen and were sent to the dump as a joke. Then they messed things up.

[@kurtsayre3163]

i guess they dont have to worry about snow it melts as soon as it hits the ground

[@mikesuch9021]

Kurt Sayre fruit and veggies grow in December. Why not use it.

[@michaelking3327]

as of 2017, the last home standing, the mayor's home, was demolished. no homes remain standing

[@Carandini]

Just saw a video of the place from February. Still a few houses - with people living in them, the municipal building and a church. The old mayor's home was demolished last year, but there are still a handful left.

[@dtawney7901]

There are still houses left... I go there every year and just went this past Sunday

[@Harley365]

There are still a few residents I was there in 18

[@Harley365]

Thanks CNN

[@caderamsey8878]

Such a sad Fate to a Nice little home. wonder if the mine fire is still going?

[@darkwaters1010]

They estimate it will burn for another 250 years.

[@SirPhoebus]

Nobody thought of blocking the oxygen to the fire ? Closing the mineshaft entrances or something ? Instead of digging holes ? And bore holes ?

[@concordsst]

They tried, but it was too far spread by the time they did

[@davezimmerman1510]

SirPhoebus lack of competent leadership in gov mine regulation for many years , no excuses for giving up and let it keep growing! it will only be much harder to put out in the future, but it will have to be dealt with! Is was small in the beginning

[@MCscarfacematt]

a way they tried to put out the coal fire was to add more coal? right... fresh or waste coal its still coal thats like throwing gas on a gas fire its still adding fuel to the fire they just need to go in and dig it out you eliminate the fire and stockpile coal that they can then sell off to offset the cost of extinguishing the fire

[@vic5828]

The "Barney Fife way of fighting fire is with fire!" Didn't work in the Andy Griffith episode or here.

[@Styxswimmer]

No. To add already burned coal, so the leftover, non-flammable ash.

[@erin19030]

Home of the Schmege brothers.

[@erin19030]

Trump country !

[@davezimmerman1510]

A testament to pa state lack of leadership for many years, long before anyone heard of Trump. Today, what is being done about it? Absolutely nothing, the stupidity continues. where’s all the global warming activists? Guess all they want is to enrich themselves with carbon taxes and could care less about the emissions. Just shows it’s only a hoax

[@StevenTorrey]

At this point it is such an extensive fire, it cannot be extinguished....

[@tomv5988]

I heard in another video it would cost $500 million dollars to extinguish it. I just googled it and apparently a company in Texas claims it can use a foam to do it. The company spokesman claims they can drill bore holes and pump the foam in. They have had success with similar fires. But I guess Pennsylvania is not interested in doing it because of the cost.

[@davezimmerman1510]

Steven Torrey No one is attempting any thing and it continues to grow, it must be dealt with. it’s not getting any easier by waiting it was very small and manageable at one time. How big will it be in another 50 years ? Evacuate Ashland, Mt Carmel, frackville, Mahoney city, Shenandoah, Shamokin , treverton! 100 years from now they’ll be little access to mine anthracite maybe in Scranton! what a shame, still no leadership and willingness to take on the challenge! no different than the day the fire got started ! Where is PA state gov. With all it’s regulatory agencies and power? Guess you can’t tax a fire so their not interested .

[@Putaspellonyou]

Umm, it DID cause the end of the town.

Rockin the mullet in 2004, true Joe Dirt

[@GrowlyBear917]

2:34 cemetery spelled wrong on the sign

[@pertechnetyl]

Water is to be avoided for fossil fuel fires extinguishing. Water carries oxygen dissolved, thus actually intensifying such fires (formation of oxocarbons, which are more potent to catch fire than "fresh" coal).

[@sueannwilliamswilliams6805]

yes you are just right it should be put out

[@Seveneleven44]

Sue Ann Williams Williams where is PA gonna get funding for that? Furloughs every year come budget time, but people still want this cleaned up and extinguished. We’re talking BILLIONS of dollars to do it. Millions upon millions just to plan and get logistics for a proposal. Maybe we can get funding from the state workers pension fund....just kidding too many fat fucking greedy asswipes in PA.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

Why don't you take care of that for us, Sue Ann?

[@erin19030]

Where there are volunteer fireman there is sure to be alcohol.

[@ryanbbew4947]

Cosimo Kramarawicz wrong.....

[@leondraw1766]

is that peter brady lol?

[@methaqualone5191]

I think you mean Greg Brady, and Yes, that certainly looks like him.

[@scottdavenport1730]

I was thinking Bobby Brady.

[@natec9719]

😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@chrisbassett8996]

Isn't it great the richard simmons hair style is no longer in

[@followthespider1309]

"Its a ghost town now" As 2 cars drive by lol

[@SirAndrewll]

Route 61 still goes through the town

[@lifeisamatrix5960]

Then wouldnt it been pheasable to pipe in salt water from ocean and feds step in to find it under emergency management. Would have been more logical to fill and pump water from ocean in.

[@TheHungrySlug]

Yer-Right, Take a look at a map on google and see just how far it is from the ocean. Thanks for making me laugh though.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

sweetie, Centralia is nowhere near an ocean

[@Mike_79]

2:00 Poor horses , heartbreaking :(

[@matthewbaker1621]

Flood it

[@reidb18]

I know this is probably a stupid question but do you think it's a possibility to put the fire out today? I know it would cost a shit load of money and time but could it be done?

[@GuyAld]

@RyanWest from an Engineering standpoint it could get put out but yes at the same time it would cost a fortune, financially and economically it wouldn't make sense ,the damage to the environment is too far gone and more than likely no one will ever live there again ....the mine ran under the entire town and nearby towns .....I want to centralia a few years ago and you have to see it in person to fully understand the scope of the damage ....they acted too late

[@JessieColt2]

As Eddie Alden said in their reply, it "is" possible, but the cost would be enormous and since the area is basically abandoned at this point, the money spent to put out the fire and restore the area would be better spent elsewhere. The only real option that they have to put out the fire is to strip mine the whole area and remove all of the soil/coal out and down until they get beyond the edges of the fire. Then put it out once the soil/coal in on the surface, then clean the mixture and then use that cleaned soil mixture to backfill the strip mine operation. It would take huge amounts of money and massive amounts of equipment and man hours to dig out. It is currently estimated that the fire covers an area of about 3700 acres, up to about 300 feet deep, and 8 miles long. That would be a massive undertaking. And even if the company who undertook the project could recover some of the coal to sell, the Federal Government would have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars, if not multiple billions of dollars to get it all completed.

[@reidb18]

We need a billionaire with a passion for Centralia.

[@merricat3025]

Jessie Colt since this fire is still burning what's to stop it from spreading to other towns? I read that this fire is going to burn for another two hundred years. wouldn't it keep spreading? if that were the case wouldn't it be better just to get the fire out now even if it costs a ton of money?

[@theindependentthinker4282]

Ryan West how about donald trump

[@stavinaircaeruleum2275]

Maybe detonate explosives underground?

[@Marcel_Audubon]

is that you, Mr. President? they laughed at your suggestion to bomb a oncoming hurricane so you're trying to save face here? ... not working

[@mipspc]

You will never put it out. Hope it runs out of fuel before it reaches Ashland in 40 years.

[@erin19030]

It is a ghost town, always was mentally deficient.

[@paulbetka1803]

Pump sea water in there 🙁

[@TheHungrySlug]

Yer-Right, Take a look at a map on google and see just how far it is from the ocean. Entirely impractical as it's to far inland. Not such a good idea after all.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

You flunked geography, right?

[@Marcel_Audubon]

@Gauntlet get your mind out of the sewer!!

[@Marcel_Audubon]

@GaunletofDestruction I see you attended the I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I school of wit

[@davezimmerman1510]

So if they pumped water down there for 20 years it would be out now !! WTF ?

[@steelmaniacwi]

Where you gonna find the funds for that shut up.... all you do is constantly complain

[@EddieLeal]

I could be wrong here folks but the failed attempts also kept a lot of people employed. At least until the Fed came to the conclusion that the coal mine that produced so much revenue had instead become a money pit that besides burning coal was burning through vast amounts of federal funds/resources. Sad end to what could have been a thriving town. ;) Now the conspiracy theorist in me says it was all set up by the government. Yes that's right people! Uncle Sam had bigger plans for that land and it did not include the population currently residing in it. It was during the Vietnam era. Military was receiving all kinds of funding to support the war effort against the commies. Who knows what really lies underneath that town. Secret military base/underground bunker. UFO storage, secret lab with God awful genetic experiments on both human subjects and animals. Who knows. Or maybe...just maybe...they had somehow opened a portal to a dark dimension. Maybe even a portal to the very gates of.... HELL!! Ok, maybe that's a stretch. lol! Sorry, too many Stephen King movies. ;) lol!!

[@davezimmerman1510]

Modern marvels ?? Nothing to Marvell here ! They didn’t put it out and they didn’t utilize the heat source for energy or power generation . Very lame and depressing conduct of engineering, DEP, state of Pa mining regulation and reclamation , no leadership whatsoever

[@MattQrillz]

Climate change, anyone?

[@unknownspecie6196]

Nope. Not anyone. No anyone. No one. Nobody.