The producer, state and federal authorities were able to identify the fire’s location overnight Tuesday, and a plan was put into place to contain and extinguish it. That plan has been ongoing.
Late Thursday, the company told ILN that the impacted section was not located in the mine’s active working section.
Also, a borehole camera was lowered into Blacksville via a drillhole near the Ornduff shaft, which officials said would aid in determining airflow and heat source location.
“We detected light smoke but no fire,” Consol spokeswoman Lynn Seay said.
“[Our] personnel will begin pumping water into the mine through this first borehole. A pump and water line are being laid and readied to support this activity, which we estimate will begin tomorrow [Friday].”
Two drilling rigs that were enroute following the incident have arrived on site and work on additional boreholes has begun.
US Mine Safety and Health Administration spokesman Jesse Lawder lent a bit more perspective to ILN earlier Thursday afternoon.
The first borehole was drilled to a depth of 907 feet at the time of the update, while the second was estimated at a depth of 45ft.
Holes three, four and five were all in the preparation stages, Lawder said.
“Water is still being trucked to a borehole and dumped into the mine [and] the mine is also in the process of laying a water line from a pond near the Orndoff fan to borehole No. 1,” he said.
“The recent handheld readings at the Orndoff fan indicate 370 ppm of CO in the shaft.”
Seay said that, as of 4pm local time, about 800,000 gallons of water had been pumped into the mine through the Orndoff shaft.
“Consol Energy’s team remains on-site around the clock to continue monitoring the situation,” she said, adding that it was unknown when operations would restart.
