CENTRALIA -- A near ghost town in Columbia County could soon be the focus of a new TV series. A major network has picked up a pilot named "Centralia."
For people who used to call Centralia home, the tale of what happened may be considered a horror story.
A mine fire burning underground turned the borough into a ghost town. But now it seems like that story could be brought to the small screen.
TV blogs are reporting that NBC has picked up a new pilot. It's labeled as a soap opera, where the remaining residents are unaware of the evil that's coming to the surface.
Visitors to the real Centralia think that's pretty cool.
"I just know personally, some of my friends in Pittsburgh, I probably have like five different groups of friends that have come out this year alone," Josh Raye of Pittsburgh
But some people who live near Centralia say they aren't too excited about a possible TV pilot. They say this place is already a tourist trap and a lot of people end up vandalizing it. They think this TV pilot might make it worse.
"The vandalism I don't really appreciate. I don't know if they would work their way up the other end or not," Cecilia Pawluk of Ashland said.
Some people say the tourists aren't all that bad. Annette Yodis of Mount Carmel walks her dog around Centralia.
"People want to know where graffiti road is. I tell them where to park and where the smokestacks are coming out, where to go eat," Yodis said.
Some say the tourists could be good for the coal region. Another NBC show, "The Office," gave Scranton a boost.
One tourist in Centralia believes the more popular the place becomes, maybe that would mean less vandalism.
"Hopefully there is more good people, so to speak, that would help keep the vandalizers and some of the juveniles away."
Either way, people are interested to see what this Centralia pilot is all about.
There is no word yet on when the TV show would film or even air.
