Canada

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

The exterior of the Potash Corp. plant near Rocanville, Sask., about 250 kilometres east of Regina, is shown on Wednesday Nov. 3, 2010. A fire has broken out at a potash mine in eastern Saskatchewan, but no one has been hurt. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Troy Fleece

A potash company says 20 of its workers are safe in a refuge room while a fire is burning underground at one of its mines in eastern Saskatchewan.

An official says the fire at PotashCorp.'s Rocanville mine broke out about 2 a.m.

Nine other miners have been brought safely above ground.

PotashCorp. public affairs manager Bill Cooper says officials are in contact with the workers in the refuge room.

He says a large wooden cable spool is burning and four mine safety workers are fighting the flames.

"We are in the process of putting out the fire and hope to do that quickly and safely," Cooper said.

The fire is 17 kilometres down from where the main shaft is located.