There's a ghost town in Pennsylvania that's been on fire for 60 years with a famous abandoned road
Published on Dec 14, 2025 at 9:50 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Dec 11, 2025 at 7:45 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
While it might not seem real, there is, in fact, a ghost town in Pennsylvania that has been on fire for over 60 years, complete with an unreal abandoned road.
Instagram user and content creator Sam Beres recently posted an Instagram reel about the town of Centralia, which suffered a coal mine fire in the 1960s.
What was once a town of around 1,000 people now has fewer than 10 residents, and it is certainly one of the eeriest locations in the United States.
The story of its demise is even more fascinating, and it shows how quickly the fortunes of a town can change.
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Why did Centralia become an abandoned ghost town?
Centralia was first settled in 1841.
But it was in the 1960s that things started to go wrong for the town.
In 1962, a coal mine fire started burning beneath it.
There was nothing that residents could do to put it out.
With the fire refusing to stop, the residents evacuated the town.
That meant the population went from 1,000 in 1980 to just five by 2020.
Vents in the ground still emit smoke from the fire, which may burn for the next 200 years.
All of the real estate was claimed under eminent domain in 1992 and was then condemned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
What happened to the residents of the town?
The vast majority of the town’s residents evacuated to start a new life somewhere else.
In October 2013, however, seven people remained in the town.
At which point, an agreement was reached between state and local officials, which allowed them to remain in the town until their deaths.
Following their deaths, the houses will be repossessed through eminent domain as per all the others.
One of the most famous parts of the town is the abandoned road.
This used to provide a direct route to Centralia.
This is Route 61, a road repaired multiple times before authorities decided the easiest thing to do was to close it.
The abandoned road became known as ‘graffiti highway’ after tags and art began to cover the abandoned highway.
In 2025, there are just two houses left in Centralia, but soon this ghost town will fade into memory.
Centralia timeline
1866: Incorporation Originally settled in 1841, the town was incorporated as the Borough of Centralia in 1866, driven by the coal mining industry.
1962: The Fire Begins A landfill fire ignited in May was not fully extinguished, spreading into the coal mines beneath the town.
1981: The Sinkhole Incident A 12-year-old boy fell into a sudden 4-foot deep sinkhole, drawing national attention to the underground danger.
1983: Relocation Funding Congress allocated $42 million for relocation, leading most residents to accept buyouts and leave.
1992: Eminent Domain Pennsylvania invoked eminent domain, condemning all buildings and taking control of the land.
2002: Erasure The US Postal Service revoked the town’s ZIP code, effectively removing it from the map.
2013: The Settlement The few remaining residents settled with the state, gaining permission to live out their lives in their homes.
2020: Present Day With a population of just five, the famous ‘Graffiti Highway’ was covered with dirt to deter tourism.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
