‘Humans caught the ocean on fire’: Gas pipeline fire in Gulf of Mexico creates shocking scene
Gulf of Mexico #GulfofMexico
Energy company pulls plug on Keystone XL Pipeline
SHARE
SHARE
TWEET
SHARE
Click to expand
UP NEXT
Mexico’s state-owned oil company said a fire caused by a rupture in an undersea gas pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico is over, but videos showing efforts to put out what appears to be an underwater caldron of fire live on.
The “fire in the sea” was put out at 10:45 a.m. following a gas leak about 500 feet from a drilling platform, Pemex tweeted. No injuries were reported and the company said it took about 5 hours to bring the incident under control.
The company said it used boats to pump water over the underwater blaze, although nitrogen was also used to control the fire, Reuters reports, citing a Pemex incident report.
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.
Mexican publications and journalists reporting on the incident shared videos showing a harrowing scene: A orange glow below the boiling surface of the ocean — and boats spraying streams of water, in an apparent attempt to put out the fire. One of the most popular videos quickly racked up more than 10 million views on Twitter.
“Never in your life forget the time humans caught the ocean on fire and then tried to put it out by spraying water on it,” tweeted podcaster Dave Anthony.
On Friday night, social media was awash with reaction to the videos, ranging from confusion to concern:
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Humans caught the ocean on fire’: Gas pipeline fire in Gulf of Mexico creates shocking scene