Gas Leak Blamed For ‘Eye Of Fire’ Blaze On The Gulf Of Mexico

A gas leak from an underwater pipeline is being blamed for what social media dubbed the “eye of fire” blaze on the Gulf of Mexico. 

https://twitter.com/EoinHiggins_/status/1411075158006284290?s=20

The  New York Post reports that according to Mexico’s state oil company Premex, that the fire broke out at 5:15 a.m. near an oil platform. It took more than five hours to bring the blaze, which resembled molten lava, under control. No injuries were reported, and the facility was not evacuated.

Nitrogen was used by company workers to bring the fire under control. Angel Carrizales, head of Mexico’s oil safety regulator ASEA, tweeted in Spanish that the leak “did not generate any spill.”  

La @agencia_asea da seguimiento al evento ocurrido esta mañana en la Sonda de #Campeche, relacionada con una línea de #gas, la cual ya fue atendida y controlada por personal de @Pemex conforme a sus Protocolos de Respuesta a Emergencias. El hecho no generó ningún derrame.

— Ángel Carrizales (@acarrizales_) July 2, 2021

The incident is now under investigation.