The Atlas Obscura Podcast This "Burning Town” Is Thriving
Feb 11, 2026
Colin Dickey, a writer who explores haunted and abandoned places, revisits Centralia, Pennsylvania and finds it unexpectedly lush. He describes the mine fire origins, failed extinguishing attempts, and how nature has reclaimed the landscape. He compares Centralia’s rewilding to other abandoned sites and notes signs the underground blaze still persists.
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How Centralia Became 'The Burning Town'
- Colin Dickey recounts Centralia's 1962 landfill fire that ignited underground coal and forced the town's evacuation.
- A 1981 sinkhole that nearly killed a boy became the final catalyst for the government buyout and relocation.
Nature Reclaims Faster Than Expected
- Colin expected an eerie, frozen-in-time ruin but found the site reclaimed rapidly by nature.
- He describes Centralia as lush and vividly alive despite its abandoned human structures.
Driving Into A Hidden Nature Preserve
- Colin describes driving through depressed anthracite towns into Centralia and feeling the shift to a nature preserve.
- He notes the landscape looks like a well-maintained park though it's wholly wild and unmanaged.
