Cab of 750-ton excavator catches fire at Australian gold mine
A fire broke out in the cab of a 750-ton Komatsu PC8000 open-pit excavator during the night shift on September 9 at the Super Pit gold mine near Kalgoorlie, Australia. No one was injured. Workplace safety regulator WorkSafe WA is investigating the circumstances of the incident, ABC News reports.
Emergency team extinguished the fire
The incident occurred at the Oroya Brownhill section of the Super Pit, located about 600 kilometres east of Perth. The mine owner, gold producer Northern Star Resources, said that operator Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines immediately activated an emergency response team, which extinguished the fire.
The cause of the fire has not been disclosed so far. WorkSafe WA said it was aware of the event and was investigating the circumstances of the fire. Northern Star Resources said the incident did not cause a significant disruption to Super Pit operations, and the operator activated contingency plans to replace the damaged machine.
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The machine had been scheduled for replacement
According to Northern Star Resources, the Komatsu PC8000 is among the world’s largest mechanical excavators, with an estimated replacement cost of $18 million. The machine’s fuel tank holds 13,900 litres of diesel fuel, and a single bucket carries up to 68.5 tonnes of material.
The damaged excavator was one of four PC8000 machines in the open-pit mine fleet. The company said this machine had been scheduled to be taken out of service in November 2026 and replaced with a new excavator. A 600-ton Liebherr R9600 was already delivered to the mine in July, while another machine is expected to arrive in October.
