Fire forces workers to evacuate from Central Queensland mine
Workers at an underground coal mine in central Queensland have been evacuated after a fire at the site.
A “complete and orderly withdrawal” was enacted in response to the incident, according to a spokesperson from Anglo American, which operates the Grosvenor coal mine, near Moranbah.
“While the extent of the incident is still evolving, the safety of all personnel is confirmed,” they said.
“Implementation controls are active and in place, including the use of nitrogen and monitoring by our extensive real-time system.”
The mine operator said Resources Safety and Health Queensland was notified immediately of the incident on June 29.
Its inspectors are on site.
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“Resources Safety and Health Queensland was notified of an ignition of methane at Grosvenor coal mine early this morning,” a spokesperson said.
“We understand all workers have been removed from underground and accounted for, with no injuries reported.”
Mining and Energy Union representatives will also conduct their own investigation into the incident.
“We are greatly relieved that workers are safe and there were no injuries or fatalities,” Queensland branch president Mitch Hughes said.
“Of course, it’s of great concern that this event has occurred.”
Five workers suffered extensive burns in a gas explosion in May 2020 at the Grosvenor mine.
An inquiry into the incident found the explosion was caused by production exceeding the project’s gas drainage capacity.
Following Saturday’s incident, Anglo American said the “sole focus” is people’s safety.
“To ensure the safety of our people, we have invested significantly in remote operating technologies, and gas and real-time monitoring at our underground operations to enable early detection and timely implementation of action response plans,” the spokesperson said.
