Somerset Co. man recalls rescue following Chilean miners' viral video

By: Maria Miller BERLIN, Pa. -- A new commercial is going viral across the world that features the Chilean miners who were rescued four years ago, now cheering on their home team at the World Cup. When the miners were trapped and even several months after their rescue, they were all over the news and thrown into the international spotlight. That attention pretty much went away until now with the new commercial, and the people at Center Rock Inc. who helped bring them to safety couldn't be more proud. It had all the makings of becoming one of the worst mining disasters of all time -- 33 Chilean miners trapped more than 2,300 feet underground for 69 days, miraculously rescued with the help of a special drill bit and two guys from Center Rock Inc., in Somerset County. "We knew immediately that we had to reach out and at least offer our technology and offer our experience to get them out of the ground," said Brandon Fisher, founder of Center Rock. Fisher and his company had previously helped drill deep into the earth to rescue the nine trapped miners in Quecreek in 2002. He told 6 News he knew he had to reach out to Chile when he heard the news there, already 17 days into their rescue. "It took 33 drilling days to get those guys out of the ground versus three to four months," Fisher said. "Fortunately it worked out very well for us and for them, more importantly them than us." Now the miners are back, looking better than ever in a new commercial aimed at passing along their hope, courage and endurance to the Chilean football team, giving them motivation to survive the World Cups "group of death" and make it to the knockout stages. "Just watching that you definitely get goosebumps, for sure," Fisher said. "Anytime you think about everything we went through and they went through. ... It's hard to think about it without getting emotional. Honestly, it really is." It's a video that brings back a flood of memories, both good and bad, and a video Fisher said perfectly encompasses the Chilean spirit and the motivation that just may help their team win. "They had everything figured out. They rationed their food, they rationed their water, they prayed together, did everything together and they pulled through," Fisher said. "That's got to be a great motivator for a sports team, I would think." It's not certain if it's the commercial that's helping the Chilean team pull through, but something is. They've already had two major upsets, defeating Australia and completely knocking out Spain. They're currently in the second place in Group B, just behind the Netherlands, who they'll face on Monday.