Sinkhole Coal Fire Near Chamber Building

(Bonne Terre, MO.) No damage is being reported after firefighters were called out Monday afternoon to what was originally called a brush fire at the Bonne Terre Chamber of Commerce License Office building. Officials from the Doe Run Company have been trying to fill the hole with a chemical that heats as it expands to fill the hole. It appears coal in the ground caught fire because of the heat generated in the process and that caused the smoke from the hole. The area was hosed down by members of the Big River Bonne Terre Fire Department. The Bonne Terre Mine was closed for a while due to smoke in the business. Fans were used to blow it out and Doe Run Officials have decided to try another method to fill the hole.