The Centralia mine fire is a coal-steam fire that has been burning underneath the borough of Centralia, Pennsylvania, United States, since at least May 27, 1962. Officials are not sure how it began. It is burning in underground coal mines at depths of up to 300 feet (90 m) and over an 8-mile (13 km) stretch of 3,700 acres (15 km2). It could continue to burn for over 250 years. It has caused most of the town to be abandoned: the population decreased from 1,500 at the time the fire started to 5 in 2017, and most of the buildings have been razed.
The Centralia mine fire also extended beneath the town of Byrnesville, a few miles to the south. The town had to be abandoned and leveled. The Centralia area has become a tourist attraction. Visitors come to see the smoke on Centralia's empty streets and the abandoned portion of PA Route 61, popularly called the Graffiti Highway
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