MELLVILLE, W.Va., Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Rescue teams searched a West Virginia coal mine Friday for two miners missing after a reported fire forced an underground evacuation.
The fire was reported Thursday night at the Aracoma Mine in Logan County, W.Va. The crew of 12 was working in the mine when a monitor went off indicating a possible fire about 5:36 p.m. Thursday, Doug Conaway, director of the West Virginia Office of Miner's Health, Safety and Training, said.
The crew started out of the mine within minutes, encountering smoke on the way, he told CNN. Two crew members somehow became separated from the others.
Speculation is that the fire was sparked by a belt in the mine, said Lara Ramsburg, spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin, although the cause was not known.
