The Option

A coal seam fire beneath Centralia has been burning since 1962. Ada is not investigating the fire — she is investigating what was buried in the seam before it was lit. A retired mine inspector has spent forty years investigating whether the initial ignition site contained sealed industrial containers placed by a company needing a permanent disposal method. He has three documents: a shipping manifest, a facility closure notice, and an internal memo referencing 'the Centralia option' three years before the fire started.