MACEDONIA, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois attorney general is accusing a coal mine operator of polluting the area with toxic foam to try to stop an underground fire. Kwame Raoul’s lawsuit in Franklin County alleges that the Sugar Camp mine in August used firefighting foam containing PFAS compounds.

There was no immediate comment from the owner, Foresight Energy. The compounds are called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment or the human body and can accumulate over time. State environmental regulators received complaints about foam in a farm ditch and a tributary to Akin Creek near the mine.

The mine is located in the Macedonia area.

(photo credit: The Southern Illinoisan)