Video: Ocean on fire

A fire on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico erupted after a gas leak from an underwater pipeline sparked ablaze, according to Mexico’s state-owned Pemex petrol company.

Footage of the fire – appearing to boil the ocean’s surface with bright orange flames – went viral on July 2 before the fire was extinguished roughly 150 yards from a drilling platform in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, the company reported.

The company said that “no injuries or evacuations are reported”.

In a statement, Greenpeace Mexico’s Gustavo Ampugnani said: “These are the risks we face on a daily basis and which call for a change in the energy model, as we have demanded.”