MineArchiveFochriw Colliery Explosion, 1902
A fall of roof released a body of firedamp at Fochriw Colliery, which was ignited by a naked light, killing eight miners.
| Date | 4 June 1902 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Fochriw Colliery |
| Region | Caerphilly |
| Primary type | Explosion |
| Associated types | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 8 (Eight miners killed; individual names were not established.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A fall of roof released a body of gas (firedamp) into the workings, which was then ignited by the use of a naked light.
What happened
On 4 June 1902, at Fochriw Colliery in the parish of Gelligaer, a fall of roof released a body of firedamp into the workings. The gas was ignited by a naked light, and the resulting explosion killed eight miners. The accident came under thirty years after the colliery's two fatal winding accidents of 1869-70, and predates the wider adoption of safety-lamp-only working that later disasters elsewhere in Britain — including, over half a century later, Kames Colliery's 1957 explosion — would go on to make standard practice.
Memorials & commemoration
No dedicated memorial to this specific accident is known; the men are likely among those commemorated on Fochriw's general War and Colliery Memorial.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- A fall of roof released a body of firedamp into the workings, which was ignited by the use of a naked light, killing eight miners. 1,2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of roof released a body of firedamp at Fochriw Colliery, which was ignited by a naked light, killing eight miners.” - Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of roof released a body of firedamp at Fochriw Colliery, which was ignited by a naked light, killing…” - Naked Light (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…a body of firedamp at Fochriw Colliery, which was ignited by a naked light, killing eight miners.” - Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of roof released a body of firedamp at Fochriw Colliery, which was ignited…”
Sources
- (secondary) Fochrhiw colliery — welshcoalmines.co.uk
- (primary) Fochriw Colliery Explosion — Gellingaer — 1902 — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 2 September 2026 · Last researched: 2 September 2026