A natural halt in the flow of gas at an onshore well site at Kazakhstan's Kalamkas field helped extinguish a fire caused by gas seeps that raged around the well late last month, according to a statement from the country's Energy Ministry. Firefighters continue to remain on watch in case the flow of gas resumes. Gas broke to the surface around the well 8237 on 13 March and ignited early morning on 25 March. The well had reportedly reached a depth of 453 metres when local drilling contractor Si BU reported the appearance of strong unexpected gas flows in the borehole outside the drill pipe. The contractor had cemented the hole and installed a blowout preventer but later reported that flowing gas had created more than a dozen outlets around the drill site that allowed gas to escape to the surface. The total area of the fire was estimated at close to 1000 square metres.
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