FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ill. (WJPF) – Multiple managers and supervisors have been indicted on federal charges in connection to a fire in a Franklin County coal mine. The incident happened in August 2021, while workers were using cutting torches to cut collapsed steel beams in the mine. Rather than follow the approved mine emergency plan, the defendants agreed to not evacuate miners or notify MSHA. They continued fighting the fire into the next day, until the mine was finally evacuated due to an anonymous tip. Ronald Koontz, Demitrios Macropoulos, Randy Nowland, Cory Humphrey, and Timothy Parsons all face multiple charges after conspiring to conceal a fire and interference with the investigation.