A spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a fire in a mine last week in eastern Iowa should not pose any ongoing problems. The fire in the underground mine of the Pattison Sand Company in Clayton flared up last Thursday, prompting a warning from the DNR about heavy smoke on the Mississippi River side of the facility.
DNR environmentalist Doug Hawker says the fire was apparently caused by a piece of equipment that began burning, and there is not an ongoing concern about problems in the mine. He says the company has hired a consultant and will clean up any environmetal issues caused by the fire.