ONGC Oil Well Fire: Blowout Continues On Day 3, Officials Expect Improvement In Situation
The gas well is not directly operated by ONGC but by its Production Enhancement Contractor Deep Industries Ltd, an Ahmedabad-based company.
Published : January 6, 2026 at 10:55 AM IST
|Updated : January 7, 2026 at 2:48 PM IST
Irusumanda: Blowout of natural gas in a well owned by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in Andhra Pradesh's Konaseema district continued for the third day on Wednesday.
A massive jet fire of up to 20 metres in height and 25 metres in width was ignited around 12:40 pm on Monday. Crisis management teams of ONGC and firefighting personnel continued their efforts to control the blowout on the outskirts of Irusumanda village in Malikipuram Mandal.
The Crisis Management Team (CMT) and RCMT members have started work on the ground even as state-of-the-art equipment and vehicles from the Narsapuram ONGC unit have been engaged to douse the blaze. Special motors have been installed to spray water to prevent the flames from spreading and the hot air from expanding. With continuous pumping of water from Tuesday morning until night, the heat in the area near the well has decreased. Related sources say that these measures will continue for another four or five days.
According to officials, the intensity of the fire appears to have come down and they expect further improvement in the situation later in the day. The crude-mixed gas suddenly erupted while repair works were underway using a workover rig after the well, identified as Mori-5, had temporarily halted production.
Since controlling the flames emanating from the well all at once could lead to technical difficulties, efforts are being made to bring it under control in stages. Construction of a temporary road across the fields has begun. An engineering officer stated that it is likely to be completed by Wednesday afternoon. A temporary road is being constructed to bring a mud-filling machine with heavy vehicles to the well to stop the leakage.
A powerful blowout released a massive volume of gas mixed with crude oil, which shot high into the air. Thick clouds of gas and smoke spread across Irusumanda and the surrounding villages, resembling dense fog, and sent panic among the people.
Authorities have shifted more than 500 people from the village to the relief camps. ONGC said no injury or loss of life has been reported. It said the well is located in a remote area with no human habitation within a radius of approximately 500-600 metres.
ONGC's special teams, adept at effectively controlling critical situations like blowouts, have arrived from Delhi and Mumbai and their operation is being supervised by Technology and Field Services Director Vikram Saxena. Regional Disaster Management Team (RCMT) Head Srihari is assessing the situation and giving instructions to the staff.
An ONGC official stated that he has experience in successfully controlling blowouts in several areas. After the fire is completely brought under control, leaks inside the well will be identified, and a chemical-laden mud mixture will be rapidly injected to control them. This is expected to take more than four or five days. Amalapuram MP Harish Mathur and Rajolu MLA Deva Varaprasad are camping in Lakhavaram and monitoring the situation.
ONGC officials released a statement from Delhi stating that the blowout is being brought under control. They mentioned that the company's senior management and a team led by Director Vikram Saxena have taken full responsibility for the operation at the well. They explained that the temporary canal excavation work for installing high-capacity pumps has been completed. They also stated that the team of experts has succeeded in reducing the intensity of the flames.
Well Was Being Operated By ONGC Contractor
The gas well is not directly operated by ONGC but by its Production Enhancement Contractor (PEC) Deep Industries Ltd, an Ahmedabad-based company.
"They (firefighters) have created a water umbrella to make the temperature cool down, but the flames are still coming, so the expert teams will arrive and they will assess the situation, and accordingly they will take all measures to douse the flames," Konaseema joint collector T Nisanthi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
She said the expert teams are coming from Mumbai and Delhi. By sprinkling water, all the trees surrounding the fire jet are being cooled off, said Nisanthi, observing that the intensity of flames has reduced compared to Monday.
"We are hoping that the flames will be doused at the earliest," she said, noting that all efforts are being made to douse it. "They will assess the situation first, and only based on the assessment, they will be able to tell," she said when asked for a timeline to completely extinguish the blaze.
Revenue, Police and Fire department officials, along with ONGC, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Red Cross personnel are toiling to extinguish the flames, she said.
Deep Industries Ltd had secured a Rs 1,402-crore contract in 2024 for production enhancement operations at ONGC's Rajahmundry Asset in Andhra Pradesh, PTI reported. The company has been operating the Mori-5 well for about a year, it said, quoting an ONGC official.
Konaseema district Collector Mahesh Kumar and Superintendent of Police Rahul Meena were supervising the firefighting operation. Amalapuram MP Harish Mathur and local MLA Varaprasad were also camping near the accident site to monitor the situation.
Site History And What Led To The Blowout
Drilling explorations at the Mori-5 site began in 1993. At that time, crude oil deposits containing natural gas were transferred to the local gas collecting station. Gradually, the pressure level of the deposits in that well zone decreased, and more water started to flow.
To extract deposits from another zone in the well, ONGC subleased the site to Deep Industries in 2024. Recently, during the process of accessing a new zone 2,700 meters deep, a bombing procedure was conducted through logging tool testing.
At that time, unexpectedly, gas gushed out with a pressure level of 2,500. To control it, a chemical mud pumping process was undertaken. However, due to the extremely high pressure level and the mud pumping failing to control it, the gas suddenly erupted.
As the gas flow exceeded the capacity of the blowout preventer (BOP), the staff immediately evacuated the area. Friction at the BOP, combined with flames on two occasions, caused the entire area to suddenly erupt in flames.
Seeing the situation escalating, authorities initially announced through a public address system that the nearby village of Irusumanda should be evacuated. Some people had already left their homes, while the remaining residents were evacuated by the authorities and shifted to safe areas.
'Would Seek Help from Experts In US'
MP Harish Mathur said that they would also seek the help of experts from the United States to control the blowout. District Collector Mahesh Kumar, SP Rahul Meena, MLA Deva Varaprasad, and ONGC officials held a review meeting.
Public representatives and officials stated that they have provided shelter to 550 people in the two rehabilitation centres set up at Gubbalapalem and Lakkavaram, and are providing them with all necessary facilities. They clarified that they will support the victims until the fire is brought under control.
Officials estimate that the Irsusumanda blowout may have caused hundreds of crores of rupees in damage. The ONGC rig, the logging tool, and the heavy vehicles that were destroyed in the fire are each estimated to be worth between 20 and 30 crore rupees. Locals say that approximately 500 coconut trees in the vicinity were burnt by the towering flames, and that crops and aquaculture have suffered significant damage.
Officials stated that the fire engines and other equipment available are not sufficient to control the fire. They said that it will be difficult to control the flames until the gas pressure in the well decreases. Electricity supply was preemptively shut off in Irsusumanda, Lakkavaram, Chintalapalli, and Gubbalapalem, plunging these villages into darkness.
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Gas Leak Triggers Massive Fire At ONGC Well In Andhra Pradesh's Konaseema
