A massive fire has engulfed a natural-gas producing well of Oil India Limited (OIL) in upper Assam’s Tinsukia district, that has been leaking gas for the last 14 days. Smoke from the fire, that began this afternoon, can reportedly be seen from 10 km away and locals claim it has spread to nearby villages.
Three experts from Singaporean firm Alert Disaster Control were at the blowout site and some equipment was being removed when the fire broke out in the afternoon.
A company spokesperson said no casualty or injury has been reported so far. Firefighters have rushed to the spot and efforts are on to douse it, officials said. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, they said.
“The experts were not present at the site when the fire broke out. They were attending meetings at OIL’s office in Duliajan. There’s no immediate threat to residents of the area, who have already been shifted beyond a radius of 1.5 kilometres from the well,” Bormudoi added.
The Baghjan well had reported the blowout on May 27 while work was underway to produce gas from a new oil and gas-bearing reservoir at a depth of 3,729 metres.
