Gas leak triggers massive fire at ONGC well in AP; two villages evacuated

A gas leak at ONGC's Mori-5 well in Andhra Pradesh triggered a major fire, forcing evacuation of two villages within a 4-km radius. About 10 fire tenders were deployed; no casualties reported so far

A leak at an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) gas well in Andhra Pradesh triggered a massive fire on Monday, leading to the evacuation of two villages within a four kilometre radius, reported PTI.

 

The blaze erupted at the Mori-5 well in Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema district during workover operations being carried out by ONGC’s production contractor, Deep Industries. "The fire occurred due to a gas pipeline leakage at the Mori-5 well, which is operated by Deep Industries Ltd as part of production enhancement operations," an ONGC official told PTI.

 

Residents of the nearby Irusumanda and Lakkavaram villages were moved to safer locations as a precautionary measure, while around 10 fire tenders were deployed into service to contain the inferno. No casualties have been reported so far, ONGC said.

 

Earlier in the day, the Maharatna company said, "The well is located in a remote area with no human habitation within a radius of approximately 500–600 metres. No injury or loss of life has been reported".

 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also sought details of the incident and instructed officials to prioritise firefighting efforts, the report added.

 

The company also said that its officials from Rajahmundry travelled to the site after the blaze was reported. The site has been cordoned off, cooling operations have been initiated, and crisis management teams have been deployed. "Preparatory work is in progress to facilitate well-control and, if required, capping of the well," the company said.

 

"ONGC has also initiated coordination with international well-control specialists, including mobilisation arrangements to support advanced well control and casing-cutting operations, subject to site assessment," it added.

 

It further said that the company's senior management and technical experts are closely monitoring the situation, while additional equipment is being mobilised from nearby locations.

 

District authorities are also at the location, coordinating firefighting efforts and safety measures, PTI reported.

 

Deep Industries secured a ₹1,402-crore contract in 2024 to carry out production enhancement work at ONGC’s Rajahmundry Asset in Andhra Pradesh.