Fresh Fire Breaks Out in India After May Gas Blowout

Less than two weeks after a major blowout, fire has erupted again in the Baghjan oil field in northeastern India.

Oil India Ltd. had earlier warned that an uncontrolled leak at a natural gas plant in Assam threatened to ignite. Nearly 300 people were working at the site trying to control the leak when the fire broke out.

Fortunately, only one person was injured, suffering a minor burn, a spokesperson for Oil India reports.

The company had maintained a water curtain surrounding the leak. Rainy weather following the original May 27 blowout had also helped to contain the emergency.

Officials evacuated nearly 3,000 people within a 1.5 kilometer-radius of the leaking oil well after the May 27 blast. A team of fire experts from Singapore had been engaged to stabilize and control the leak, the company states.

Those experts had anticipated the possibility of further fires, the company said.