A leaking methane seal and an open flame were key factors in a Kentucky mine explosion that claimed five lives in May 2006. A report released by the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing found that the protective seal had not been constructed properly and did not meet federal guidelines. Mine foreman Amon Brock, 51, and maintenance worker Jimmy Lee, 33, had been using an acetylene and oxygen torch to cut a metal rod strap that intersected a return seal. Both were killed from multiple blunt force trauma and heat injuries when the torch ignited methane gas. The report stated that […]