THOMPSON, Man. — A company spokesman says all of the miners who were forced to seek safety in underground refuge areas after a fire broke out at a northern Manitoba nickel mine have safely returned to the surface.
Vale, which operates the mine in Thompson, says the last eight miners who were waiting for rescue were brought out of the mine Monday afternoon.
The company says the fire broke out Sunday in a piece of remotely operated machinery about 850 metres underground.
Thirty-nine workers in the mine moved to the refuge stations, and workers in another mine that is connected by a tunnel also took refuge as a precaution.
Ryan Land, the manager of corporate affairs in Manitoba for Vale, says the refuge areas have sealed doors and their own air supply.
The company says the fire has been contained to the machinery and was under control, and that no injuries have been reported.