Great story... I have seen it firsthand. Yes... there is actual steam rising from the ground. My parents were born and raised nearby. The weird part of mining towns, IMHO, is the houses in many areas sink (the mines are underneath). It is not uncommon to see the old mining homes tilt or be sunken several feet. I may be wrong, DogByte... but I thought I was forwarded an article (from a cousin who lives near that town) that the last resident finally left Centralia? Very cool article....
Obviously you would know better than me if there are still any remaining residents in Centralia since you have roots to the area. I only quoted the original news article.
I have never been to the area ... but it holds a certain fascination for me. I have visited many “ghost towns” out here in my area of Southern California ... abandoned mining towns, lost towns along the old Route 66, etc.
I also find the whole story of Centralia very ironic; the fire was apparently started by the fire department at the behest of the local city council. This is yet another reminder that government (at all levels) tends to create more problems than it solves.
Here is another weblink of interest re: Centralia PA ...
If you scroll down, you can see some pictures from the local cemetery showing some of the tombs and gravestones buckling (as if there are sinkholes developing beneath them?)
I don’t know if this is just from neglect, but it seems plausible that the mines could be underneath areas of the cemetery causing the depressions and sinking of the gravesites.