Inani borehole still burning

COX’S BAZAR, Oct 28: A fire triggered by gas escaping from a deep borehole in Inani of Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, remained unextinguished on Wednesday, as experts from Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) warned that the gas might contain higher hydrocarbons.

The fire broke out around 6am on Tuesday at a site where a deep tube well had been drilled. A three-member BAPEX team visited the site on Tuesday night and warned that forcibly stopping the gas flow could create additional hazards. 

The experts initially suspected that high-pressure underground gas was escaping to the surface through cracks or weak geological layers.

SM Nafiqun Arham, manager of BAPEX and head of its geological survey team, said the flames and smoke indicated the possible presence of higher hydrocarbons in the gas. However, he said laboratory analysis of collected samples would be necessary to determine its actual composition and characteristics.

He explained that gas might have reached the surface through underground fissures after drilling approached a gas-bearing layer at a depth of around 1,000 feet. The escaping gas might subsequently have come into contact with a source of ignition, triggering the fire.

Arham cautioned that attempting to forcibly stop the flow could cause gas to escape through other underground fissures, creating further risks. “Ensuring the safety of human lives and property is the most important priority at this stage,” he said, adding that it was impossible to predict how long the fire would continue without analysing the gas pressure and rate of discharge.

According to local sources, drilling for a deep tube well began about 10 days ago in the courtyard of a house owned by Md Abdullah near a small bridge in Inani, Jaliapalong Union, Ukhiya.

Despite drilling to a depth of around 1,000 feet, workers failed to find water. The operation was shifted to another location three days ago. On Tuesday morning, gas suddenly began gushing out from the earlier drilling site and caught fire.

Abdullah said the gas started coming out of the abandoned borehole around 6am. Workers tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the flames before alerting the Fire Service.

Four Fire Service units rushed to the scene and attempted to put out the fire using water and sand. However, their efforts failed as gas continued to escape from underground.

Saidul Islam, station officer of Ukhiya Fire Service, said the situation differed from a conventional gas leak involving a pipeline, where the flow could be stopped by closing a valve. “Here, gas is escaping from underground under high pressure, making it impossible to extinguish the fire using conventional methods,” he said.