en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Krem-1 exploration well operated by Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex caught fire in early March near Las Choapas in Veracruz state, and the company has since been continuously controlling the blaze and advancing permanent well plugging operations.

Residents of rural areas in Veracruz state are deeply concerned about the potential health and environmental impacts of the ongoing blaze. This week, footage captured by a journalist using a drone showed scorched land around the well site, trees with fallen leaves, and animal bones scattered on the ground.

Nearby resident Marco Palma, his mother Reina Torres, and their neighbors said they worry about their health as well as damage to livestock and the environment. Since the incident, birds and butterflies in the area have noticeably declined.

At President Claudia Sheinbaum's morning press conference, journalists repeatedly raised questions about the incident, demanding that Pemex and health authorities provide updates and respond to residents' demands.

Pemex did not respond to further requests for comment, but through multiple statements it outlined control measures, environmental monitoring, and community support arrangements, stating that monitored pollutant concentrations remained within regulatory limits.

Mikhail Zhizhin, a researcher at the Earth Observation Group at the Colorado School of Mines, calculated using the VIIRS Nightfire satellite system that the well burned approximately 300 million cubic meters of natural gas between March 2026 and July 2026. According to data from Mexico's Ministry of Energy, this amount is close to half of the total natural gas consumed by Mexican households during the same period.

Pemex stated that no poisoning cases related to the incident have been identified, but a company official acknowledged that dozens of animals have died.