By Alabama Public Radio
Adger, AL – There was apparently another underground explosion Tuesday at Shoal Creek Mine in west Jefferson County. It was the fourth explosion in the mine since it was evacuated and closed Friday after a pocket of methane gas is thought to have ignited. There were also explosions on Sunday and Monday. Federal mine safety inspectors still haven't been inside the mine because of the dangerous conditions. There have been no injuries. Shoal Creek Mine was among more than a dozen mines to recently undergo court-ordered safety inspections. This, after the local mining union won a lawsuit that accused the state of failing to follow its own safety inspection procedures.