SAN ANTONIO -- Local and state officials met for several hours Monday at Helotes City Hall in hopes of coming up with a new plan to extinguish a huge, stubborn mulch fire.

Efforts to put out the fire, which has been burning since Christmas Day, were halted over the weekend after tests revealed that two private water wells were contaminated with water runoff from the fire. Officials are waiting for results from a third well for possible contamination.

One idea tossed around was to build a clay-lined pit, which would allow firefighters to put burning material into it and then douse the mulch with water. But Peter Clawson of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said the pit would probably not be the ultimate solution.

"I think this is all going to be evolving," Clawson said. "I'm not sure any of that is in or out. I think we'll probably build on that plan and put some more safeguards into that."

Clawson said the deadline of extinguishing the fire by Wednesday will have to be extended for several more weeks once firefighting efforts resume.