Fire Underground

The Ongoing Tragedy Of The Centralia Mine Fire

By: David DeKok

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Paperback | 1 October 2009

At a Glance

Paperback
320 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 1.78

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How a modern-day mine disaster has turned a Pennsylvania community into a ghost town

For much of its history, Centralia, Pennsylvania, had a population of around 2,000. By 1981, this had dwindled to just over 1,000-not unusual for a onetime mining town. But as of 2007, Centralia had the unwelcome distinction of being the state's tiniest municipality, with a population of nine. The reason: an underground fire that began in 1962 has decimated the town with smoke and toxic gases, and has since made history.

Fire Underground is the completely updated classic account of the fire that has been raging under Centralia for decades. David DeKok tells the story of how the fire actually began and how government officials failed to take effective action. By 1981 the fire was spewing deadly gases into homes. A twelve-year-old boy dropped into a steaming hole as a congressman toured nearby. DeKok describes how the people of Centralia banded together to finally win relocation funds-and he reveals what has happened to the few remaining residents as the fiftieth anniversary of the fire's beginning nears.

Industry Reviews

Praise for the author's previous book, Fire Underground

"Enough bureaucratic villains to fill a Dickens novel."
-New York Times Book Review

"DeKok has not only reported and written a compelling first-hand account of how an underground fire destroyed Centralia, but he even gives us an anatomy of how the disaster happened and analyzes its implications for one community, and in a sense for all of us. A thoughtful and thoroughly engrossing read!"
-Lisa Scottoline, author of Dirty Blonde, a fictional story about Centralia

"An excellent, unbiased chronicle devoid of the emotionalism which set resident upon resident."
-Library Journal (for the book as previously titled, Unseen Danger)

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Regional & National History History of the Americas Local & Family History, Nostalgia Local History Society & Culture Social Issues & Processes Social Impact of Disasters / Accidents (Natural or Man-Made)Engineering & Technology Other Technologies & Applied Sciences Mining Technology & Engineering

Preface	p. viii
List of Acronyms	p. 1
A Bad Day	p. 2
Badlands	p. 10
Council's Fire	p. 19
Natural Forces	p. 27
Missed Opportunities	p. 33
Scranton's Grand Plan	p. 39
Too Long a Wait	p. 44
Sideshow	p. 53
In the Fire's Grasp	p. 57
The Conspiracy Theory	p. 68
Lonely Battle	p. 72
Awakening	p. 79
Infighting	p. 92
Increasing Danger	p. 103
Scattered Leaves	p. 113
The Big Picture	p. 126
Fateful Tumble	p. 137
Watt and Thornburgh	p. 142
Thornburgh in Centralia	p. 154
Organizing the Resistance	p. 159
Fire in the Night	p. 171
On the Road	p. 183
The Year of the Scream	p. 197
Unity Day	p. 216
Victory	p. 232
Relocation	p. 246
The End of Nearly Everything	p. 256
Epilogue	p. 266
Index	p. 270
About the Author	p. 285
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Fire Underground

The Ongoing Tragedy Of The Centralia Mine Fire

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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