Gas fire burns on in Ukhiya after 24 hours

A fire sparked by gas leaking from underground in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya has kept burning for more than 24 hours.

Fire Service and Civil Defence officials said experts from the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) advised against trying to douse the blaze, which began on Tuesday.

With gas pressure high, it must burn until the flow ends.

The local administration is moving to cordon off at least 200m around the site to control public entry and ensure safety.

Syed Muhammad Morshed Hossain, deputy assistant director of Cox’s Bazar Fire Service and Civil Defence, said: “We used various techniques, but high gas pressure made it impossible to put out the fire. We worked with four units from Tuesday morning and still could not extinguish it.”

BAPEX experts came to the site after the district administration contacted the company, he said.

Gas began leaking around 9:30am on Tuesday while soil was being dug for a tube well in the yard of Mostafa Sikder’s house in Chhoto Inani of Ukhiya Upazila. It caught fire at one point and has burned since.

Extinguishing the Fire ‘Risky’

Morshed said putting out the fire to stop the flow could let gas spread all around. Trying to seal the vent under pressure could also send gas out elsewhere and start fresh fires.

“Their [BAPEX] advice is to let the fire burn like this and wait until the gas flow ends,” he said.

Citing the BAPEX experts, he said the fire could burn for a week to 15 days. The Fire Service plans to keep one unit at the site round the clock to monitor it.

200m Safety Cordon

Ukhiya Upazila administrator (UNO) Panna Akter said the BAPEX experts had visited the site and made some important observations. On their advice, the first priority is to isolate the risky area and set up a security cordon.

“Our main concern now is to isolate the place and fence off at least 200m or more, so the public cannot enter,” she said. “We cannot say for sure when or from which side gas will emerge. There is also a risk of sparks spreading with the gas.

“The area is also part of a tourist zone with homes nearby, and children and the elderly may have an accident while going to see the fire.”

She said she would discuss setting up the cordon, collecting equipment and seeking help from law enforcers with higher authorities.

The deputy commissioner has been told of the initial findings, and the army and police will be asked for help if needed, the UNO added.

BAPEX Seeks Gas Samples

SM Nafefun Arham, a manager of BAPEX and head of its geological survey team, said they would try to collect samples to learn the origin and nature of the gas.

Any samples would be tested at BAPEX’s laboratory.

Testing is important to understand the source of the leak, he said, but it is hard at this stage to estimate how large the reserve is.

Arham said the gas may be flowing from several places, and the area should be kept under observation for at least seven days given the risk.

He recalled BAPEX’s past experience of gas field fires and flow control at Tangratila and Maguchhara.

Bringing such a situation under control can take a long time, he said, and more testing is needed to establish the nature, source and reserve of the gas in Ukhiya.

“Ensuring security at the site and taking the necessary administrative steps are the responsibility of the local administration,” Arham said. “BAPEX can offer technical opinion and exploration-related support.”