Story highlights
NEW: The 3 were taken to a hospital for a precautionary evaluation
The miners were trapped after an underground fire at a zinc mine
54 miners were inside at the time and all but three made it out
51 made it out and two of those were treated for smoke inhalation
Rescuers freed three miners who were trapped in an eastern Tennessee zinc mine Wednesday after a fire, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration.
The three miners were taken to a nearby hospital for a precautionary evaluation, said agency spokeswoman Amy Louviere.
The miners were trapped by smoke after a rig fire broke out 800 feet underground at the Young Mine in New Market, Capt. Sammy Solomon of New Market Fire Rescue said.
They were among 54 miners in the mine at the time. The others managed to get out, though two were transported to a local hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The Young Mine is owned by Nyrstar, which owns six other mines, all zinc, in Tennessee.