Lake Peigneur
On November 20, 1980, a Texaco oil rig accidentally drilled into a salt mine under Lake Peigneur in Louisiana. The mistake caused a whirlpool to form in the lake, which sucked in the drilling platform, 11 barges, 65 acres of land, and countless trees. Shockingly, nobody died—the workers were able to escape thanks to a well-designed evacuation plan.
Centralia Mine Fire
The Centralia mine fire has lasted from May of 1962 until the present day. All those years ago, a fire was lit near a coal mine in Centralia, Pennsylvania; although the town did their best to extinguish the flames, the fire continued to burn along the coal-rich deposits, eventually making its way into the mines. The citizens of Centralia were forced to evacuate the area, and the fire is still burning today.