On the 31st of July 1972 the Box Flat Mine exploded after a Spontaneous Combustion of a small pile of coal turned into a raging inferno that overcame the mine ventilation system and resulted in a catastrophic coal dust explosion killing 17 men instantly and injuring many more. One of the injured workers died over a year later during corrective operations. It was Ipswich's worst mine disaster and the second worst in the history of mining in Queensland.
