Centralia, Pennsylvania, is the real-life ghost town that inspired the eerie, ash-and-fire-choked atmosphere of the Silent Hill movie and video game franchise

Centralia, Pennsylvania, is the real-life ghost town that inspired the eerie, ash-and-fire-choked atmosphere of the Silent Hill movie and video game franchise The Underground FireThe accident: In 1962, a trash fire in the town landfill accidentally ignited an underground vein of anthracite coal.The blaze: The fire spread deep into the abandoned labyrinth of mining tunnels beneath Centralia, where it still burns today.The duration: Experts estimate there is enough coal left in the ground to keep the underground inferno burning for another 100 to 250 years. The Decline and Ghost Town StatusThe danger: Carbon monoxide, toxic gases, and sudden sinkholes began splitting the streets and threatening homes. The U.S. government and Pennsylvania state officials relocated most residents during the 1980s and 1990s, eventually demolishing over 1,000 buildings. The zip code loss: The U.S. Postal Service officially revoked Centralia's ZIP code in 2002. Today, nature has reclaimed much of the grid, leaving empty curbs, buckling sidewalks, and only a tiny handful of remaining residents