Remaining flames in well fire now from residual gas in the pipe, regulators report.
Abatement efforts underway on Wednesday, July 24, 2013, near Hercules 265 Rig where fire has caused collapse of the drill floor and derrick following an explosion Tuesday night. An out-of-control natural gas well burned Wednesday off Louisiana hours after it ignited following a blowout, though authorities said there was no sign of a slick on the surface of the water. On Thursday, regulators reported that sediment had blocked natural gas flowing from the well and remaining small flames were due to residual gas. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard)
Published Thursday, July 25, 2013
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officials say the fire is out at a natural gas well in the Gulf of Mexico that blew wild earlier in the week.
Natural gas stopped flowing from the well earlier Thursday, and the remaining fire had been fueled by residual gas. Authorities believe the flowing gas became blocked by sand and sediment in the well.
The Coast Guard and a spokesman for one of the companies involved confirmed that the fire was out at midday.
Air and water travel restrictions remain in effect in the area, and officials are working to determine the next steps in securing the well.
