Nova Scotia

Fire shuts down Cape Breton coal mine, no injuries reported

A fire that broke out at the Donkin coal mine in Cape Breton has been extinguished and no injuries have been reported.

No workers were underground at the time of the incident

Smoke is seen billowing from the  Donkin coal mine in Cape Breton on Monday morning.
Coal trucks continued to take product from the Donkin coal mine on Monday despite a fire in the mine last night. (Tom Ayers/CBC)

A fire that broke out at the Donkin coal mine in Cape Breton on Sunday evening has been extinguished and no injuries have been reported.

Cape Breton Regional Municipality District 8 Coun. James Edwards said the fire involved the mine's conveyor belt system, but no cause has been determined yet.

"The mine is just following the procedures to assess damage and take it from there," said Edwards on Sunday. "But the big news is there's no injuries — everyone's safe."

The province's Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration tweeted that no workers were underground at the time of the incident and a stop work order has been issued as a precaution. 

Smoke is seen billowing from the Donkin coal mine in Cape Breton April 30, 2023.
The Donkin mine has suffered more than 30 roof falls since it opened in 2017 and was hit with an underground fire earlier this year. (Daniel Dillon/Facebook)

Provincial inspectors were en route to the mine on Monday morning to assess the damage.

Coal trucks could still be seen coming and going from the mine on Monday.