By Oscar Martinez and Stefanie Eschenbacher
LAS CHOAPAS, Mexico, July 31 (Reuters) – Nearly five months after an accident ignited a fire at a natural gas well in rural Veracruz, Mexico, residents are growing increasingly concerned about potential health and environmental impacts as large volumes of gas continue to burn.
Mexican state energy company Pemex, which operates the well, has said the incident at the Krem-1 exploratory well near Las Choapas began in early March and that the company has since been working to bring the fire under control and permanently seal the well.
Drone footage taken by a Reuters reporter this week showed vast plumes of smoke rising from the well, with scorched earth surrounding the site, trees stripped of leaves and animal bones scattered on the ground.
Marco Palma and his mother, Reina Torres, who live nearby, said they worried about their health and harm to the environment, including livestock they raise. Birds and butterflies seem to be scarce in the area since the accident, they say.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, asked repeatedly about the accident during her regular morning press conferences, called on Pemex and health authorities to report on progress and review concerns raised by residents.
Pemex, which did not respond to a request for further comment, has issued several statements describing containment efforts, environmental monitoring and community support measures. It has said monitored pollutant concentrations remained below regulatory limits.
Mikhail Zhizhin, a researcher at the Earth Observation Group at the Colorado School of Mines, estimated that approximately 300 million cubic meters of gas were flared at the well between March and July 2026. That amount is equivalent to nearly half the natural gas consumed by Mexican households in 2023, based on Reuters calculations using data from Mexico’s Energy Ministry.
Zhizhin made the estimate using VIIRS Nightfire, a satellite-based system that detects and measures flaring activity around the world.
Pemex has said it had not identified any poisoning cases linked to the incident, although a company official has acknowledged that dozens of animals have died.
(Reporting by Oscar Martinez in Las Choapas and Stefanie Eschenbacher in Mexico CityEditing by Rod Nickel)
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