The “Gateway to Hell” has been on fire for 50 years: now the fire is dying down

In the heart of the Turkmen desert lies a phenomenon unique in the world: a huge crater of natural gas, known as the “ gate to hell ”, which has been burning continuously for over fifty years. Born from a geological accident in the 1970s, this fiery inferno has become a curious and disturbing attraction for tourists and scientists. Now, however, something is changing: the eternal fire seems to be coming to an end.

Let's find out together how this natural spectacle was formed and what is happening today.

The “Door to Hell”: How an Expedition Set Fire to a Crater That’s Been Burning for 50 Years

The still- active fire in the Darvaz crater originated from an expedition in the 1970s. In 1971, during an oil exploration , Soviet scientists installed several instruments to locate underground deposits, but the unstable ground suddenly gave way, engulfing the equipment in a natural cavity that opened up with the subsidence.

No one was injured in the accident. Instead of oil, a huge deposit of methane, a flammable and toxic gas, was discovered. To avoid poisoning, researchers lit the crater, expecting the flames to die down in a few days. After more than fifty years, however, the fire continues, fueled by constant gas leaks from various underground layers.

In the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan, there is a fire that has been burning for over fifty years inside the Darvaz gas crater, also known as the “Door to Hell” or “Gates of the Underworld”. This natural formation is one of the most important tourist attractions in the country.

The crater, about seventy meters wide and twenty meters deep, was formed in the early 1970s following the collapse of the ground during Soviet oil exploration near the village of Derweze, which has about 350 inhabitants.

The methane that is fueling the fire , in addition to being toxic, is a climate-altering gas with a greenhouse effect about thirty times greater than CO2, although it remains in the atmosphere for a shorter time. To reduce the environmental impact, the Turkmen authorities have launched a project to limit the gas leakage from the crater. The state company Turkmengaz has drilled new wells in the Chaljulba deposit, increasing extraction and decreasing the pressure inside the crater, thus reducing the gas that is fueling the flames.

Since December 2024, two new high-flow wells have been operational under the Natural Gas Research Institute drilling project, significantly increasing the monthly extraction rate. Another high-flow well was completed in February 2025, and the program has entered its next phase, which involves the reopening of additional wells, as explained by the government agency.

The results have resulted in a reduction in the visibility of the flames : if once they were visible from kilometers away, today it is necessary to get much closer. The combustion has reduced by 300% thanks to the interventions, and it is expected that the fire could be extinguished definitively in the near future.