Apple tree planting in Centralia is part of larger environmental effort Updated 10:41 AM; Today 10:41 AM Centralia's population of more than 1,000 in the mid-1950s is down to a handful because of a fire that originated in 1962 in a refuse dump in an abandoned strip mine in adjoining Conyngham Twp. The fire spread beneath the borough through an underground coal mine.
10/31/2013
Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comPENNLIVE.COM Facebook Share A new chapter is being written for Centralia, the mostly abandoned Columbia County town with a coal-fueled fire burning beneath it. The Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation is leading an environmental improvement effort in the town to develop wildlife habitat, offset some carbon footprint, reduce illegal dumping and lead to more ecosystem restoration.