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Half a century ago, a landfill fire in the Pennsylvanian town of Centralia spread underground to an abandoned coal mine.


The blaze has been burning beneath the community ever since.


Fears about toxic gases and dangerous sinkholes led the
authorities to evacuate more than 1,000 people from the town in the
1980s. Around 500 structures were demolished as part of the
multi-million dollar federal relocation scheme.
In 2002 Centralia's postal zip code was revoked. And now the state is taking action to remove the remaining homeowners.


Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic
Development declined an interview request. But the authorities insist
the blaze still has the potential to open up new paths for deadly gases
to reach other parts of the town.
The BBC's Matthew Danzico went to Centralia to meet the few
Centralia residents who have refused to leave, claiming that their part
of town is not threatened by the fire.
They have challenged the authorities' right to seize their
homes using the legal power of eminent domain. However, that argument
was rejected in a court ruling last month.