Gas Fire From Tubewell Digging in Ukhiya Still Burning After 14 Hours, Power Cut Across 15 Kilometres

A gas fire that emerged from underground during deep tubewell digging in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, could not be put out even after 14 hours. On Tuesday (27 October), the intensity of the fire increased further after 5 p.m.

The site is in the courtyard of Mostafa Sikder's house near the small bridge on Inani Marine Drive in Ukhiya. The fire started at around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the tubewell digging site there. It had not been extinguished by 9:30 p.m.

Shamshul Alam, member of Ward 6 of the local Jaliyapalong Union Parishad, said a man from Dhaka had bought some land at Mostafa Sikder's house. A deep tubewell was dug there 10 to 15 days ago. After digging 600 to 700 feet without finding water, workers began digging a tubewell at another spot nearby on Monday. At around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, gas fire came out from that spot.

Shamshul Alam said local people first tried to put out the fire by throwing sand and water. At around 8:30 a.m., two units of the Ukhiya Fire Service reached the spot and tried to control the fire. Later, another unit came from Cox's Bazar town.

As the intensity of the fire grew, people were moved to a safe distance from the site at around 3 p.m. A security cordon has been set up around the site to keep the situation under control. Local people gathered in the small bridge area of Inani Marine Drive to watch the fire blazing in the darkness of the night.

Dolon Acharya, senior station officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence in Cox's Bazar, said people nearby had been evacuated because the fire was not under control. A Fire Service team has been kept at the site to observe it. The Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) has been informed about the presence of fuel gas underground and the situation.

District Commissioner Md. A. Mannan said natural gas had been found while digging the tubewell. A security cordon has been set up there to avoid risk. BAPEX has been informed about the gas fire. A two-member team from Dhaka arrived by plane at Cox's Bazar airport after the evening. They will go to the site at night and start work on the gas.

To avoid risk, electricity supply has been temporarily stopped across an area of about 15 kilometres. An official of the Ukhiya Palli Bidyut Samity said there was a fear that the gas fire coming from underground could spread to the wires of electricity poles. For that reason, electricity supply has been stopped along about 15 kilometres of the 33 kV line from Monkhali to Patuartek. There are several electricity poles near the burning site.

Saidul Islam, station officer of the Ukhiya Fire Service station, said the gas fire came out from underground while a deep tubewell was being dug in the courtyard of the house. It is initially thought that the presence of gas underground caused this situation. There is no gas pipeline in that area. The distance from the site to Cox's Bazar town is about 25 kilometres.

Shamshul Alam said panic had spread among local people as the intensity of the fire kept increasing. However, as there are no houses or residential hotels and resorts near the site, the immediate risk of loss of life is low.