Progress in putting out W.Va. mine fire
Consol Energy has continued its efforts around the clock to extinguish a fire that broke out Tuesday in a section of its Blacksville (W.Va.) No. 2 Mine under southern Greene County.
Consol had drilled 15 boreholes from the surface into the mine by Monday and is pumping water into the affected area to create a water seal from floor to roof, said Consol spokeswoman Lynn Seay. It also is injecting nitrogen into the mine to deplete the oxygen needed for a fire to burn.
The efforts may be showing signs of progress. An “analysis of the atmosphere in the affected area is trending in a favorable direction,” Seay said in an email.
The fire was discovered last Tuesday when smoke was detected coming from the mine’s Orndoff shaft. All 121 underground employees were safely evacuated from the nearby Kuhntown portal. The section of the mine affected by the fire is not an active working section of the mine.
During the weekend, 15 boreholes were completed. Two are being used to pump water into the mine; one is directly over the fire, Seay said.
One borehole is being used to inject nitrogen; one to measure water levels; one to monitor the mine atmosphere; and eight others that will be used to install “isolation plugs” to seal the area off from the rest of the mine.
A water line has been installed to pump water from a nearby freshwater pond , which eliminates the need for transporting water by truck.
On Saturday, the Kuhntown portal building was evacuated for about 12 hours as a precaution because of elevated gas levels in the mine. The high levels of gas were expected and had built up because of efforts to get water to the fire and reduce oxygen levels, Seay said.
The company was able bring the gas back to a safe level. No areas outside the immediate vicinity of the fire will be affected by gas, Seay said.
Consol said its efforts to extinguish the fire will continue around the clock. No personnel will re-enter the mine until it is determined that it is safe to do so, the company said. Others participating in the effort include the Mine, Safety and Health Administration, West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training and the United Mine Workers union, which represents the mine’s workforce.