Investigators Rule Out Methane Spill As Main Cause Of Big Branch Disaster

By Kaeun Yu

An official with the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration announced on Wednesday that a large methane explosion has been ruled out as the cause of last year’s disaster at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia

Kevin Stricklin made the announcement during a conference call with reporters.

“We do not think, and I can’t reiterate this enough, that we do not think this was a massive methane explosion,” he said. “We think it was small, and then turned into a coal dust explosion.”

Federal investigators, said Stricklin, have evidence suggesting that a small amount of methane from natural gas ignition led to a massive coal dust explosion,” which should have been prevented. Previously, officials were weighing whether to attribute the explosion to sparks from a mantrip, a rail-like shuttle used to transport miners in and out of shafts.

The April 5, 2010 explosion killed 29 of the 31 miners working at the site, which is located in Raleigh County, W. Va. and is operated by a subsidiary group of Massey Energy.

Messey CEO Don Blankenship told reporters last year that a crack that had developed in the mine’s floor resulted in a release of combustable gas. 

Stricklin was joined on the call by MSHA Chief Joe Main, who testified about the disaster before Congress last year.

Officials presented their findings to date to the families of the victims on Tuesday night. A conclusive final report is expected to be released in the next two-to-three months.