Massey spokesperson Jeff Gillenwater told ILN there were no injuries and all workers at the facility, which federal records indicate has a staff of 72, were accounted for.

The fire began inside the structure at about 3:30am local time, State Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training official Jama Jarrett said.

Local fire departments responded to the event and extinguished it, with the facility’s five floors sustaining the most damage.

“The facility has been secured to prevent anyone from entering and will remain impassable for at least 48 hours to allow the structure to cool down,” Jarrett noted, adding that state inspectors are currently interviewing plant employees.

“MHST, Massey and the fire department, at the least, will continue to assess the damage and investigate the cause after this period.”

US Mine Safety and Health Administration spokesperson Amy Louviere said that some of the upper floors of Bandmill had collapsed Thursday as a result of the fire damage. Federal officials and MSHA Technical Support are also awaiting the building’s cool-down before entering to begin an investigation and, in the meantime, a 103k order to idle the plant has been issued.

“Four nuclear gages will need to be recovered. Also, there were several oxygen and acetylene tanks for torches inside the plant, which must be located and disposed of safely,” Louviere told ILN.

Jarrett noted that Bandmill, referred to in MSHA records as Bandmill Coal’s Rum Creek Preparation Plant, services four of Massey’s underground operations as well as one surface mine.

“Because the prep plant will not be operational, it will affect the production of coal and, in turn, the approximately 700 workers employed at these locations,” she said, though Massey did not comment further on the impact the fire would have on its production.

Massey chief executive Don Blankenship did, however, point out that worker safety and customer impact were both at the top of the priority list.

"Safety of our members was our first concern and we are grateful no one was injured at the Bandmill plant," he said.

"We expect to minimize disruptions in service to our customers by utilizing idled assets elsewhere on the CSX rail system.”

Massey will work with authorities to determine the cause of the fire.