Gas Fire from Tube Well in Inani, Ukhiya Still Burning After 30 Hours, Power Cut Across 15 Kilometres

A fire caused by gas escaping from underground during deep tube well digging in Inani, Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, is still burning after 30 hours. The Fire Service said the fire cannot be put out because gas continues to escape continuously.

On Tuesday morning (27 October), soil was being dug to install a deep tube well at the homestead of Mohammad Abdullah near the Chhoto Khal bridge in Inani, in Jaliapalong Union, Ukhiya. At that time gas began to escape from underground. As soon as foul-smelling gas came out of the hole, a fire broke out there. Another account described the site as the yard of a house in the Chhoto Inani area, where gas began escaping under high pressure at about 8am while pipes were being installed.

On receiving the news, four units of the Ukhiya Fire Service and Civil Defence went to the spot and began trying to control the fire. Alongside multiple Fire Service units, an army team also tried for a long time. But the fire could not be put out because gas continued to escape from underground.

Fearing the flames could spread to an electric transmission line, power supply has been kept off across about 15 kilometres from Monkhali to Patuartek in Jaliapalong Union. A 33 kV high-voltage electric line is near the site, and the Ukhiya Palli Bidyut Samity has temporarily kept the supply off.

For safety, the administration has decided to keep the general public away from a 200-metre area around the site. Another account said a warning on public movement was issued across about 200 to 250 metres around the site.

A specialist team of the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) was scheduled to start work on Wednesday morning (28 October) to investigate the source and nature of the gas and the cause of the fire. The team inspected the site on Tuesday night and made an initial observation; the BAPEX delegation reached the spot at about 11pm on Tuesday.

BAPEX Manager (Geology) and head of the geological survey team SM Nafifun Arham said it is initially thought that during the tube well digging, the drilling machine reached close to a gas layer at a depth of about one thousand feet. From there, gas may have risen through underground cracks or a geological fault and come out through the tube well hole.

He said if the upper part of the gas layer is exposed, high-pressure gas can create paths through various underground cracks and rise to the surface even after several days. A spark from some source in contact with the gas may have started the fire. He said there is also a possibility the fire started from human activity or an electric spark.

Looking at the colour of the flames and the type of smoke, the BAPEX official thinks the gas may contain relatively heavy hydrocarbons. But until samples are collected and analysed in a laboratory, nothing can be confirmed about the nature and components of the gas. For the same reason, he said, no conclusion can be reached yet about how much gas is in reserve there. According to the administration, the BAPEX team collected samples from the site and sent them to Dhaka.

Nafifun Arham said if an attempt is made to stop the gas emission or block its pressure, gas could escape through another weak place underground, which could increase the risk further. So for now, ensuring safety and keeping people away from the risky area is the main priority. He also said if the gas in the layer from which it is escaping is exhausted, the fire may go out naturally; trying to force it out before that carries a risk of the fire spreading underground. He said an area of about 200 metres around the site must be kept isolated until the fire is completely out, and there must be no settlement or gathering of people in that area.

Ukhiya Fire Service and Civil Defence Station Officer Saidul Islam said because the gas flow has not stopped, bringing the fire under control has become difficult. The higher authorities have been informed about the limitations of manpower and technical equipment. Later, BAPEX, Petrobangla and other concerned agencies were informed about the matter.

As the fire from underground gas continues to burn, panic has spread among local residents and hotel workers nearby. Local resident Rezaur Rahman said a terrible fire at the TupTup Restaurant and Resort in the Patuartek area of Inani killed 11 tourists only a few days ago, and now gas escaping from underground and catching fire has left them very panicked.

College student Minu Ara said they are living in fear because of such frequent fire incidents in the Inani area. She said these incidents are also stopping their daily movement and going to college.

Ukhiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Panna Akhtar said a campaign is being run to keep local residents at a safe distance. Necessary steps are being taken on the basis of the BAPEX specialist team's initial observation. A decision has been taken to keep a 200-metre area around the site isolated. The administration said the next steps will be taken on the basis of sample testing and observation of the situation.