Centralia in Pennsylvania had a population of about 2500 in 1981, today just 5......

[Justdroppedin]

A coal mine fire has been burning beneath the borough since 1962......



https://i.redd.it/9x6fse0cipd91.png

[Gates07]

you would have thought that some how folks there would have figured out how to shut off the oxygen supply

[Terryl]

Coal does not need outside air to burn, due to it's chemical makeup it has it's own source of oxygen, a big coal seam will burn for years or decades, that's why in some coal fires they have to dig a trench to stop it from spreading further into the deposit, this is sometimes not practical.

[Gates07]

did not know that thanks, then why not just flood the shaft with water, then pump it all out later??

[dogdayz]

did not know that thanks, then why not just flood the shaft with water, then pump it all out later??

It is burning in underground coal mines at depths of up to 300 ft (90 m) over an 8 mi (13 km) stretch of 3,700 acres (15 km2). At its current rate, it could continue to burn for over 250 years.