Scotia 50 years on: ‘I don’t know how you blow a mine up twice in a week’

By: Brian McKnight, Earl Dotter

Outlets: Kentucky Lantern

Published: March 9, 2026

Words: 1,827

Last Updated: 1 day, 4 hours ago

Body Text Preview

On March 9, 1976, Blue Diamond Coal’s Scotia mine in Oven Fork, Kentucky, blew up. It was the middle of the day and miners from several rescue teams were called from their shifts and told to gather their gear. They were being sent to Oven Fork in hopes of saving lives.

At the time of the blast, more than 100 men were at work in Scotia’s bottom seam. By mid-afternoon, the teams began to …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.

Email Us