‘Eye of fire’ that erupted in Gulf of Mexico is under control, says Mexico-owned oil company

By Philip Wang, CNN

A blaze on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico resembling a large “eye of fire” has been brought under control, according to Mexico’s state-run oil company Pemex.

Orange flames resembling molten lava appeared to erupt from below the surface in videos that went viral on social media, which dubbed it an “eye of fire.” The fire broke out a short distance from a Pemex oil platform.

In a statement, Pemex said the fire, blamed on a gas leak from an underwater pipeline, began at 5:15 a.m. local time Friday off the coast of Campeche, west of the Yucatan Peninsula.

The fire, which was close to an oil platform, was put out by 10:45 a.m. local time, and no injuries or evacuations of the facility have been reported.

Pemex said an investigation has been launched into the incident.

Angel Carrizales, head of Mexico’s oil safety regulator ASEA, wrote on Twitter that the incident “did not generate any spill,” according to Reuters news agency, but did not explain what was burning on the water’s surface.

Pemex, which has a long record of major industrial accidents at its facilities, said it would investigate the cause of the fire and said it shut the valves of the 12-inch-diameter pipeline, Reuters added.

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