Barrier Removal Focus of Mine Blast Probe

A federal mining investigator contends that a cinder block barrier was removed illegally from inside a coal mine about 15 minutes before an explosion that killed 10 people last month.

Michael Finnie, a special investigator for the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, said in a sworn statement submitted to a court Friday that removing the barrier disrupted air currents in the Pyro Mining Co. mine, creating dangerous levels of explosive methane.

Ron Siler, president of Costain Coal Inc., parent to Pyro Mining, said last month that a barrier was taken down inside the Western Kentucky mine the morning of the explosion Sept. 13, but he said it was removed after the fatal blast, not 15 minutes before.

He also contended that removal of the barrier could not have been a factor, even if it came before the accident.