Stop work order issued at Donkin Mine following ignition of methane

DONKIN — A stop work order was issued by the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education at Donkin on Mine Wednesday, following an incident where methane was ignited.

The ignition occurred Tuesday night in an area being that was being actively mined.

Harold Carroll, executive director of the department’s occupational health and safety division, said Kameron Coal notified them on Wednesday morning of an ignition of methane in the north panel of the Donkin Mine.

“This means there was some occurrence that ignited some methane in the area where they were cutting.”

The north panel is the area Kameron Coal has been mining since being put under limited mining restrictions in January.

Carroll said the mine responded to the incident appropriately. The fire was extinguished quickly and there were no injuries. It’s not known at this time how many miners were underground at the time of the incident.

Carroll said they won’t have further details until they get down into the mine to see for themselves, until the company finishes their internal investigation and their department completes its own separate investigation.

Inspectors from the department were underground inspecting the area in question Wednesday afternoon. Carroll said any ignition of methane is a concern, which is why there are so many stipulations in regulations around gas.

“It is a serious concern because methane is explosive,” he said. “At the same time, the response by the company was effective because the ignition was put out and controlled.”

In the meantime, Donkin Mine is continuing to operate in the bleeder panel, a second, separate tunnel at the mine.

Shannon Campbell, vicepresident of Donkin Mine, said the incident occurred at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Campbell said the mining crew in the north panel noticed an open flame while cutting sandstone in the upper part of the mining face.

He said through extensive training and safety protocols, the crew immediately used hand-held fire extinguishers to put the fire out and managed the face conditions for about 60 minutes.

He said there were no injuries to the crew and no damage to equipment.

The work was halted immediately and an investigation started, he added. The Department of Labour was contacted and a stop work order was issued for that mining area.

Campbell described the presence of sandstone as a conduit for methane in the face area as an “understood phenomenon” in the Sydney coal field.