On Tuesday afternoon, the Baghjan oil field in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district, operated by Oil India Limited, burst into flames. The blaze...
On Tuesday afternoon, the Baghjan oil field in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district, operated by Oil India Limited, burst into flames. The blaze has claimed the lives of two firefighters so far. The loss of land, livelihoods, irreplaceable flora and fauna is yet to be measured in full.
The fire broke out exactly two weeks after a gas well in the area had started leaking gas and condensate uncontrollably. In other words, it was a blowout.
The company has not yet been able to ascertain what exactly sparked the blaze – there were clearing operations going on at the site when the fire broke out. But a blaze is almost inevitable after a blowout: with highly inflammable gas flowing uncontrollably in an area teeming with iron pipes and heavy machinery, all it requires is some friction.
To prevent a fire, Oil India Limited had been maintaining a “water umbrella” by continuously spraying water over the area. “We were lucky that it did not happen earlier,” said Oil India Limited’s spokesperson Tridiv Hazarika.
OIL salutes the Supreme Sacrifice made by our brave firefighters who laid their lives in the line of duty.
— Oil India...
Our deepest condolences to the family, friends and relatives of Shri Durlov Gogoi and Shri Tikheswar Gohain. pic.twitter.com/uDP3bB0Kwp
