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Fire Going Out, Gas Leak Blocked At Gulf Of Mexico Rig

By Mark Memmott
Published July 25, 2013 at 11:59 AM EDT
The out-of-control natural gas well in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday after it blew out and caught fire.
U.S. Coast Guard via AP
The out-of-control natural gas well in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday after it blew out and caught fire.

"Natural gas has stopped flowing to a drilling rig on fire in the Gulf of Mexico," NPR's Jeff Brady tells our Newscast Desk.

As he reports:

"A drilling crew lost control of the well on Tuesday, then gas escaping from the well caught fire. No one was injured, but the flames heavily damaged a drilling rig owned by Houston-based Hercules Offshore.

"The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement says the well — after spewing gas for more than a day — 'bridged over.' When an out-of-control well bridges over, small pieces of sediment and sand flow into the well path and block more gas from escaping.

"The agency says the fire has since decreased to a small flame, fueled by residual gas at the top of the well."

On Wednesday, NPR's Christopher Joyce told us: "Why The Latest Gulf Leak Is No BP Disaster."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Mark Memmott
Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
See stories by Mark Memmott

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