MARKETS

Mine fire out of control

A FIRE burning in the Excel No. 3 mine outside Pikeville in eastern Kentucky caused the mine to b...

Staff Reporter

Crews have been working for the past three days to extinguish the fire in the underground coal mine owned by Alliance Resource Partners and operated by subsidiary MC Mining.

The Oklahoma-based company said the mine will be closed only until the fire can be extinguished, reported The Associated Press.

Employees discovered the fire late Saturday night. A state emergency response team helped fight the fire for seven hours but was unable to bring it under control.

The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration also has an emergency response team at the scene.

All firefighting personnel were withdrawn and the mine sealed on Sunday morning. Crews have been pumping nitrogen and water into the mine through surface boreholes while conditions underground are being monitored by fiber optic camera and gas-detection tools.

Excel No. 3 mine produces low-sulfur coal from the Pond Creek coal seam. The mine produced an average of 160,000 tons of coal per month in the past year.

Alliance Resource Partners operate mines in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Maryland.

TOPICS:

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production