No injuries reported in Ill. mine fire

WILLIAMSVILLE, Ill. -- Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at a central Illinois coal mine over the weekend in which no injuries were reported.

The Saturday fire at the Viper Mine facility began in the morning around a belt system that lifts coal up a 300-foot-long coal production shaft, said Elkhart Fire chief Mason Boyer.

The blaze, which was extinguished by Saturday evening, damaged underground equipment and a surface building at the mine -- located near Williamsville about 10 miles northeast of Springfield.

No injuries were reported.

The Viper Mine is owned by the International Coal Group, the same company that owns the Sago Mine in West Virginia where 12 miners died in an accident in January.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation, ICG Illinois spokesman Dale Harper said.

Three workers were in an elevator near the fire but managed to escape when they felt the heat, Harper said. As many as 20 workers in other parts of the mine were also evacuated, he said.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the incident would affect production, Harper said.