A gas well in Uzbekistan, part of the Soviet Union, caught fire and burned uncontrollably for three years. Conventional firefighting methods failed.
Soviet scientists proposed using a nuclear explosion to seal the well and extinguish the fire. A 30-kiloton nuclear device was detonated underground near the well. The explosion effectively crushed the well and stopped the gas flow, putting out the fire.
The Outcome: The fire was extinguished in just 23 seconds after the explosion. This was the first time a nuclear bomb was used to extinguish a fire. No radioactive contamination was detected after the event.


Wow, I did not know that!
ReplyDeleteHmm. What year was this? Knowing the mentality, also an opportunity for testing device during a ban.
ReplyDeleteThere are coal seam fires in this country that burned for decades.
ReplyDeleteInstantly brought the movie Hellfighters to mind.
ReplyDeleteThe plot of nearly every movie on SciFi channel. Nuclear weapons should NOT be promoted as the solution to ANY problem (well, other than Zelensky).
ReplyDeleteThis should include islam for their solution to our problems from them.
DeleteHeltau
Maybe they used a nuke for that gas because they'd previously failed with 5,000 drums of Pepto-Bismol . . . ?
ReplyDelete