FIFTY underground coal miners were safely evacuated from the Blakefield South mine at Bulga after a fire broke out behind the long wall on Wednesday night.

The mine’s owner, Xstrata Coal, is managing the situation and is yet to determine the cause or the extent of the fire.

The miners evacuated the underground workings after the fire was detected around 7.30pm on Wednesday night.

Xstrata Coal’s communications manager James Rickards gave full credit to all working at the mine at the time.

“The emergency response procedure was carried out calmly and without incident so full credit to all involved,” Mr Rickards said.

He said it was too early to speculate how the fire started but that it appeared to have occurred behind the longwall in the area known as the goaf.

Mine management worked with the local emergency management team at the scene yesterday alongside police, mine inspectors and the Mines Rescue Team.

The mine has ceased production and only a handful of employees are at the site managing the incident.

No decision on the next step can be made until the extent of the fire is known and the cause eliminated.

The Blakefield South mine is an extension of the Beltana Mine at Bulga and is a new mine at which operations started last year.

This is the first incident of fire at the mine.

Meanwhile miners have been sent home to await news of when it may be safe to return to work.