OTTAWA, Jan. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- All 72 miners trapped by a fire in a potash mine in Canada's Saskatchewan province were brought to safety by rescuers on Monday, local news reports said.

    The final five workers, who were farthest from the escape route,reached the surface at around 8 a.m. (local time).

    "It really is a good news story," Marshall Hamilton, spokesman for mine owner Mosaic Company, told CTV Newsnet Monday.

    "It's because of the training of our people that we're happy to report that everybody is safe."

    Thirty-two of the miners were brought to the surface by rescue workers at about 3:30 a.m.local time on Monday, and another 35 came out a couple of hours later, followed by the remaining five.

    Mosaic CEO Fritz Corrigan said there will be a "thorough investigation" to identify the cause of the blaze.

    "Safety is a core part of our culture at Mosaic. Our actions today have demonstrated this," Corrigan told reporters.

    The miners were trapped when fire broke out in polyethylene piping nearly a kilometer underground at the K2 Mosaic Mine near Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, at about 3 a.m. local time on Sunday.

    When toxic smoke began to fill the tunnels, the miners retreated to so-called safe rooms -- spacious chambers that can besealed off and are equipped with supplies of oxygen, food and water.

    Within two hours, rescue teams were mobilized, each going into the mine for a few hours at a time. Enditem