FACTArchive β†’
A town in Pennsylvania has been on fire since 1962. πŸ”₯
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone WrongJul 23, 2026

A town in Pennsylvania has been on fire since 1962. πŸ”₯

A town in Pennsylvania has been on fire since 1962. πŸ”₯ . . . In May 1962, a burning trash pile ignited an exposed coal seam beneath Centralia, PA. Sinkholes opened under children. Carbon monoxide seeped into basements. The US Postal Service revoked ZIP code 17927 in 2002. The fire is still burning underfoot β€” with an estimated 250 years of coal left to consume.

See it on Facebook →← All facts
Source

Smithsonian Magazine, 2015, 'The Fire Beneath: Centralia, Pennsylvania'; US Office of Surface Mining reports on Centralia mine fire.

Share β†’ X Reddit WhatsApp Threads Facebook
Spot an error? Email hello@thefact5.com with a source β€” we correct visibly.
KEEP SCROLLING

More strange facts ✦

A screwdriver slipped and a blue flash filled the room πŸ”¦
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
A screwdriver slipped and a blue flash filled the room πŸ”¦
NASA saw the Challenger failure coming years before it happened. ⚠️
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
NASA saw the Challenger failure coming years before it happened. ⚠️
A proton beam went through a scientist's head β€” and he lived. 🧠
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
A proton beam went through a scientist's head β€” and he lived. 🧠
A dropped wrench socket almost nuked Arkansas. πŸ’₯
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
A dropped wrench socket almost nuked Arkansas. πŸ’₯
A Kea parrot named Bruce at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch, New Zealand, was found in 2013 missing his upper beak and learned to use small pebbles held between his tongue and lower beak to preen his feathers.
FACT
@fact5
Animal Oddities
A Kea parrot named Bruce at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch, New Zealand, was found in 2013 missing his upper beak and learned to use small pebbles held between his tongue and lower beak to preen his feathers.
The Cat Three Navies Couldn't Drown
FACT
@fact5
Animal Oddities
The Cat Three Navies Couldn't Drown
Coca-Cola once had cocaine in every glass πŸ₯€
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
Coca-Cola once had cocaine in every glass πŸ₯€
A stray cat pulled a homeless busker out of heroin addiction. 🐈
FACT
@fact5
Animal Oddities
A stray cat pulled a homeless busker out of heroin addiction. 🐈
The IRA killed a royal and 18 soldiers on the same afternoon. 🎣
FACT
@fact5
Ironic Twists
The IRA killed a royal and 18 soldiers on the same afternoon. 🎣
The Soap Lady
FACT
@fact5
Creepy Discoveries
The Soap Lady
He was killed three times, then eaten his last meal one last time. 🌾
FACT
@fact5
Creepy Discoveries
He was killed three times, then eaten his last meal one last time. 🌾
On June 15, 1904, the steamboat General Slocum caught fire in New York's East River during a church picnic outing, killing an estimated 1,021 of the 1,358 passengers β€” mostly German immigrant women and children from the Little Germany neighborhood β€” after Captain William Van Schaick ran the boat aground at North Brother Island.
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
On June 15, 1904, the steamboat General Slocum caught fire in New York's East River during a church picnic outing, killing an estimated 1,021 of the 1,358 passengers β€” mostly German immigrant women and children from the Little Germany neighborhood β€” after Captain William Van Schaick ran the boat aground at North Brother Island.
🎲 Surprise me with another