Epitaph - Fire at the Coal Face

Television (Full Length Episode) – 2001

On 26 March 1896, an explosion in the Brunner Mine on the West Coast caused the deaths of 65 men and boys. The disaster remains New Zealand’s worst workplace accident. Paul Gittins visits the site, and there are reenactments of what happened and why the explosion occurred. Particular attention is given to the theory of gas build up due to inadequate ventilation, and the Royal Commission’s finding that a misplaced explosive was to blame. Local mine expert Brian Wood adds his conclusions about the cause, the politics involved, and the ramifications for the tightknit Coaster community.

A young volunteer later wrote to his father that the rescuers were bid a final farewell as they entered the mine, as if they might not return alive.
– Presenter Paul Gittens recounts the aftermath of the Brunner Mine disaster