ONGC senior management takes charge to contain Mori-5 oil well blaze in Andhra Pradesh
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Senior officials of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation have taken over operations at the site of the raging blaze at the Mori-5 oil well in Andhra Pradesh as efforts intensify to control the blowout.
The fire has been burning since Monday afternoon in Irusumanda village.
ONGC said top management from New Delhi and Mumbai, led by Director of Technology and Field Services Vikram Saxena, along with experts from the Crisis Management Team, has assumed operational control.
A comprehensive plan has been finalised to bring the situation under control.
Engineering teams have excavated a temporary canal linking a nearby irrigation source to the well site, enabling the deployment of high-capacity firewater pumps. These pumps are being positioned to create a water curtain to cool the area. Firefighters have also redirected the 20 metre high jet of flames into a vertical position to prevent heat from spreading toward nearby coconut plantations.
ONGC reported a gradual reduction in the size and heat of the flames as pressure from the gas and crude reservoir eases slightly. However, District Collector R Mahesh Kumar said the fire is likely to continue for another four to five days.
A 600 metre exclusion zone remains in place, and around 600 residents from Mori and Irusumanda villages are staying in relief camps. Officials said there have been no casualties or injuries since the incident during workover operations by Deep Industries Ltd on January 5.