Investigations continue at the Upper Big Branch mine in attempt to discover the ignition site and to eventually discern the cause of the explosion on April 5 that killed 29 miners.

J. Davitt McAteer, a mine safety specialist and special adviser to Gov. Joe Manchin on the UBB investigation, says officials believe the fatal ignition spread as far as 2 miles in an instant, and that the miners, from all evidence, suffered instant death.

McAteer was able to discuss the investigative process and future expectations, though he has no further comments on any findings thus far.

“Our function is not to look for violations, but causation and ways to prevent this type of accident from occurring again,” he said. Right now the investigation is closely considering the areas around tailgate 22, headgate 22 and along the longwall. While the teams cannot exclude anything yet, he said, these areas have priority.

The surface investigation began immediately after the disaster, he said, while the underground exploration began June 24 after the mine was deemed secure by recovery teams. McAteer expects the cause of the explosion will be discovered, though the investigation is not expected to conclude before January.

The investigation is twofold, McAteer explained. Teams are working above and below ground in attempt to gain a full understanding of the events the led up the explosion. More than 125 interviews have been conducted with individuals under oath and he expects another 100 to be completed before a final report. As is standard procedure, he said, interviews “began with the first level of people who were in the mine and then go up the chain of responsibility. We will go up the chain as far as necessary to get information.”

McAteer said the underground investigation is divided into several teams. Mapping teams first explore the 12-mile mine, taking photos, looking at conditions and mapping out the infrastructure. As the lead teams, they identify what they think might lead to an understanding of the incident.

The flames and forces teams look into where the force came from and what direction it went. They inspect the results of the burn and the level of its intensity, looking at burned cloth, partitions and anything that shows the effect of fire.

“In a contained system,” McAteer explained, “a force ignites and runs, and then it is forced back upon itself, twisting and turning evidence. Pipe ends, for instance, are bent in various way. There is a science and an art to finding the source, how it spread and what the fuel was.”

While he stresses the cause of ignition is not know, potential ignition sources, as in all mines, are multiple machinery, machinery hitting rock and creating a spark, battery-powered equipment and human factors.

Rock dust teams examine the soot and dust. Different intensities, McAteer said, create different types of dust, and doing an in-depth study is crucial in determining what type of fuel fed the ignition.

A support team also participates when necessary by correcting conditions in the mine. Rail tracks, for instance, were running through bodies of water. The support team raised the tracks after the areas were mapped and closely appraised.

In addition to these teams that work on minute, forensic aspects of the investigation, more teams composed of representatives from the state and federal government, Massey Energy and an independent group walk the mine to gain a larger perspective on the incident. McAteer has been into UBB mine twice.

“It is dark and debris-strewn, and as with any site of major force, there are contradictory pieces of evidence,” he said.

The underground investigation is not far along because complicated issues force teams to move slow.

“I know this is not comforting to the families,” he said, “but we only have one chance to do this. We need to do it right and protect those who are doing it.”

Part of the investigative process, McAteer said, is to preserve the evidence because there is a pending criminal investigation.

McAteer expects one outcome of the investigation will be the beginning of regulations that would modernize, increase and heighten technology used in mines.

“We have typically not applied the technology we have to mines. We need to look at ways to better understand dangers before they cause catastrophic events underground,” he said.

The industry, McAteer concluded, “has to look thoroughly at how we gather information and transmit it, sharing it with company and state officials through computerized data.”