A massive crater known as the Darvaza crater, or the "Door to Hell," burns continuously in the Karakum desert, located 260 kilometers north of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. The crater, measuring 70 meters in diameter, has been emitting flames day and night since 1971, following the collapse of a gas pocket during a Soviet drilling operation. Unlike oil or coal fires, the flames are fueled by methane rising from an extensive underground layer. The fire can reach temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius, with flames towering as high as 15 meters. Despite the dangers, the crater has become a popular tourist attraction, drawing around 50,000 visitors in the past five years. In 2013, Canadian adventurer George Kourounis became the first person to explore the crater’s depths after extensive preparation. However, the site remains hazardous, as the sandy ground can collapse without warning, and no protective barriers are in place to prevent accidents. Efforts to extinguish the fire began in 2010 under then-president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who cited financial loss and environmental concerns as reasons for the initiative. In 2022, Berdimuhamedov announced plans to put out the fire, leading to the formation of a commission to evaluate possible solutions, such as filling the crater with earth or drilling diversion wells. Despite these efforts, the flames continued to burn. In 2024, Turkmenistan partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme to address methane emissions through advanced monitoring and leak management strategies in the country’s energy sector. That same year, the government drilled a diversion well near the crater, significantly reducing emissions. By June 2025, data presented at the TESC scientific conference in Ashgabat showed that the flames had shrunk to about a third of their original size and were no longer visible from kilometers away. However, the site still emits methane at a rate of 1,960 kilograms per hour, as measured in October 2025. Turkmenistan ranks among the countries with the highest global methane emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. In late 2025, Turkmengaz announced the drilling of a new well intended to divert the gas at its source, aiming to "completely eliminate uncontrolled gas emissions into the atmosphere." Whether this latest attempt will succeed where previous ones have failed remains uncertain.