Earlier today, the New Straitsville Volunteer Fire Department was toned out for a reported brush fire along State Route 595. After investigation, crews found the steam was coming from an underground coal mine fire, not an active brush fire. Did you know? New Straitsville sits on historic coal mines, and some abandoned mine fires have been burning underground for decades. These fires can still produce smoke and heat at the surface, often looking like a woods fire. There was no immediate danger to