July 2,2021
Reuters reported that the fire happened west of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula and that it was started from a gas leak from an underwater pipeline. The fire took over five hours to fully extinguish, according to Pemex, the oil company whose pipeline was the leaky culprit. The pipeline connects to Pemex’s flagship Ku Maloob Zaap oil development. The platform is located near the southern rim of the Gulf of Mexico. Pemex confirmed that no one was injured and that its production from the project wasn’t affected. It’s also investigating the cause of the fire.
Reuters pointed out that Pemex has a long record of major industrial accidents at its facilities. Angel Carrizales, head of Mexico’s oil safety regulator ASEA, took to Twitter to give a few updates since this was technically in Mexico’s territory in the Gulf.