54-year blaze ending? Gateway to Hell in Turkmenistan could finally be closing. Here's how

The “Gateway to Hell" in Turkmenistan that has been burning for over 50 years could finally be reaching its end. The Karakum Desert has been home to the shocking site ever since the blaze started in 1971. The country has taken several steps to extinguish it, which include drilling wells around the site to capture the methane gas that is being released into the atmosphere. Turkmenistan’s official energy platform, TESC Turkmenistan, said that this is becoming possible because the country has been focusing on sustainable practices and gas management and working to reduce its impact on the environment. The huge crater fire is located in a remote area and has become a tourist site. But all these years, it was left to burn out because it is far from human settlement areas. However, Turkmenistan has been working towards dousing it to mitigate its effects on the environment, and also because being one of the world’s largest natural gas producers, its economy depends on these gas reserves. Also Read: RAT55 jet sighting in Area 51 fuels further fire about notorious Hangar 18 linked to aliens
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How is the “Gateway to Hell" fire being extinguished

The crater is spewing massive methane emissions, poisoning the air. To control this methane from leaking, the state-owned energy company, Turkmengaz, has dug up wells at the site to capture the methane and bring down the intensity of the fire. Officials announced earlier this year that their efforts have paid off and the fire is now only "a fraction of its former size." Irina Luryeva, a director at Turkmengaz, said at an environmental conference in Ashgabat that the fire is now down by approximately threefold. "Before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometres away, hence the name ‘Gateway to Hell’, today only a faint source of combustion remains," she added.

How did the “Gateway to Hell" in Turkmenistan start?

It went off partly because of an accident, and partly because of a human decision that went wrong. In 1971, the Soviets were drilling in the Karakum Desert when they accidentally hit an underground gas pocket. It was punctured, and the gas started leaking. They were aware that it could be hazardous to humans and the climate, so they decided to set it on fire. They assumed that the gas would burn out in a few days. However, they were proven wrong, that too by 54 years.