The Aracoma Alma Mine accident occurred when a
conveyor belt
A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt conveyor). A belt conveyor system is one of many types of conveyor systems. A belt conveyor system consists of two or more pulleys (sometimes referred to ...
in the Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1 at
Melville in
Logan County,
West Virginia, caught fire. The conveyor belt ignited on the morning of January 19, 2006, pouring smoke through the gaps in the wall and into the fresh air passageway that the miners were supposed to use for their escape, obscuring their vision and ultimately leading to the death of two of them. The two men, Ellery Hatfield, 47 and Don Bragg, 33, died of
carbon monoxide poisoning when they became separated from 10 other members of their crew. The others held hands and edged through the air intake amid dense smoke.
At the time of the fire, the mine was owned by Aracoma Coal Company, Inc., which was a
Massey Energy
Massey Energy Company was a coal extractor in the United States with substantial operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. By revenue, it was the fourth largest producer of coal in the United States and the largest coal producer in Centr ...
affiliated company.
The Federal
Mine Safety and Health Administration issued an advisory to its 11 District Offices to check for any missing stoppings in other mines. Inspectors were advised that two such walls—each long and high—were missing in the Alma mine when investigators arrived. If the wall sections had been in place, they would have prevented any exchange of air between the conveyor belt and the fresh air intake, the primary source of air for workers inside the mine. Instead, investigators now believe, smoke flooded into the air intake, which also serves as an escape route, disorienting two of the miners, who became lost and died in the fire.
The accident followed
national media attention of the
Sago Mine disaster, which occurred earlier in the month.
On Jan. 15, 2009, the ''
Charleston Gazette'' reported that Aracoma widows Delorice Bragg and Freda Hatfield urged
Federal District Judge
In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...
Judge
John T. Copenhaver to reject
Massey Energy
Massey Energy Company was a coal extractor in the United States with substantial operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. By revenue, it was the fourth largest producer of coal in the United States and the largest coal producer in Centr ...
's
plea bargain
A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or '' nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendan ...
and record-setting $2.5 million fine for criminal charges, the highest fine ever for a mine safety violation. Widow Bragg stated that it was clear "that Massey executives much farther up the line expected the Alma Mine to emphasize production over the safety of the coal miners inside." Massey is also required to pay $1.7 million in civil fines for the accident.
On July 20, 2010, West Virginia residents Michael Plumley, 38, of
Delbarton
Delbarton School is a private all-male Catholic college-preparatory school in Morristown, New Jersey for young men in seventh through twelfth grades. It is an independent school directed by the Benedictine monks of St. Mary's Abbey and is locat ...
, Donald Hagy Jr., 47, of
Gilbert; Edward Ellis Jr., 38, of
Justice; and Terry Shadd, 27, of
Chapmanville, pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the accident. All four were foremen at the mine and each was charged with failing to conduct escapeway drills as mandated under §75.383(b). Plumley's charge states that, as a section foreman, he did not conduct escapeway drills in the No. 2 Section of the Alma Mine from October 2005 to January 19, 2006. Ellis, a longwall section foreman, was charged with failing to conduct escapeway drills in the longwall section during this same time period. Hagy's charge is that, as a foreman, he failed to conduct escapeway drills from June 2005 to October 2005. Shadd's charges stem from failing to conduct escapeway drills in the No. 2 Section of the mine from May 2005 to July 2005. On December 9, 2010, Plumley, Hagy, Ellis, and Shadd were each sentenced to one year probation and each was ordered to pay a fine.
On July 11, 2014, the families of Don Israel Bragg and Ellery Hatfield settled a Federal Tort Claims Act Lawsuit for $1 million with the U.S. government. In addition to the monetary considerations, the United States government and families agreed to the following: 1) The Mine Safety and Health Administration ("MSHA") will provide plaintiffs with an unredacted copy of the independent review interview given by Richard E. Stickler on November 9, 2007, and Kevin Stricklin on November 7, 2007, as part of the Crandall Canyon Investigation, insofar as they were speaking about Aracoma, but subject to the protective order entered in this action. 2) MSHA will provide plaintiffs with hard copies of and electronic links to Congressional statements and news releases concerning the implementation of the Miner Act for the years 2006 and 2007. 3) MSHA will develop a course at the National Mine Safety and Health Academy open to the nationwide mining community on fire prevention in underground Coal and Non-Metal Mines. On the first day of the class, the Bragg and Hatfield families will be invited as honored guests. During the opening remarks by the Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety & Health, the victims of the Aracoma Fire will be remembered and mentioned as an example of the lives that can possibly be saved through proper fire prevention and fire escape techniques and the reason this course is being offered. The course will highlight innovative techniques, as well as existing safe practices to enhance fire prevention and fire escape and response. 4) MSHA will dedicate a plaque in honor of Bragg and Hatfield; the plaque will be located at the Firefighting Training Pad at the National Mine Academy. The families will be invited to the dedication, which may be done at the same time as the first day of the training class on fire prevention. As further consideration hereof, the plaintiffs hereby agree to dismiss with prejudice all claims asserted by them in Civil Action No. 2:10-cv-0683 pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, and to execute a dismissal order relative to the same, dismissing all claims and causes of action, with prejudice, and with the parties bearing their respective costs and attorney s ' fees."
See also
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2006 Sago Mine disaster
The Sago Mine disaster was a coal mine explosion on January 2, 2006, at the Sago Mine in Sago, West Virginia, United States, near the Upshur County seat of Buckhannon. The blast and collapse trapped 13 miners for nearly two days; only one sur ...
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Buffalo Creek flood
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Logan Coalfield The Logan Coalfield is a coalfield located in Logan County, WV, Logan County and Wyoming County, West Virginia, Wyoming County of southern West Virginia, in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States.
It is part of the National Coal Heritag ...
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Upper Big Branch Mine disaster
References
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External links
2 coal miners found dead. Rescuers battled heat in miner search since underground fire Thursday eveningCoal Diver - Aracoma Alma #1
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Logan Coalfield
Coal mining disasters in West Virginia
Logan County, West Virginia
2006 mining disasters
2006 in West Virginia
2006 disasters in the United States