After more than 24 hours underground, 20 potash mine workers have made their way back to the surface following a fire at the PotashCorp Rocanville mine.
Mill Operations Superintendent Terry Daniel believes the fire, which broke out early Tuesday morning, may have been sparked by friction from the movement of a wooden spool, but a full investigation into the cause of the fire will begin Wednesday.
Though the fire was extinguished early Tuesday afternoon, it wasn’t until several hours later that the mine workers could be brought to the surface.
Workers who spoke to the media were in good spirits and said they never felt like they were in danger while they were underground.
The mine, located 16 kilometers north of Rocanville and 230 km east of Regina, first went into operation in 1970.
Almost 500 people work at the mine located 960 m below the surface.
The mine is currently undergoing a $1.8 billion expansion due to be completed in 2014, which will make it one of the largest potash facilities in the world once ramp-up is completed in 2015.
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