The fire has been burning in the Karakum desert since 1971, when Soviet scientists accidentally drilled into an underground pocket of gas and then decided to ignite it.

A NOTORIOUS 1,000 degree desert crater dubbed the “Gateway to Hell” is finally closing as the fiery inferno has died down to mere “faint flames”. The infamous pit’s bl… ...

(FILES) A picture taken on May 3, 2014, shows people visiting "The Gateway to Hell," a huge burning gas crater in the heart of Turkmenistan's Karakum desert. (AFP) ...

The Gateway to Hell, officially known as the Shining of Karakum, is a sinkhole located above a large pocket of natural gas in Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert. As this gas seeps through the ground ...

Turkmenistan said Thursday it had significantly reduced a gas fire that has been raging for half a century at a site dubbed the "Gateway to Hell" .

Turkmenistan said Thursday it had significantly reduced a gas fire that has been raging for half a century at a site dubbed the "Gateway to Hell" .

Turkmenistan is a country like no other,an enigmatic nation with a history, culture, and government that make it stand out as one of the most unusual countries in the world. Located in Central Asia, ...

Though it's been burning for over 50 years, the Darvaza gas crater is far from the longest burning "human error" fire to exist. In Centralia, Pennsylvania, an accidental trash fire ignited a coal ...

The road into the desert north of Balkanabat was paved, perhaps, with good intentions, but little else. For much of the way, the closest thing to balance that one can hope to encounter is when the ...

They traveled deep inside the Karakum desert and dug a gigantic hole to study the methane leaks emanating in the area. They accidentally drilled right into an underground gas field.

Turkmenistan said it had significantly reduced a gas fire that has been raging for half a century at a site dubbed the "Gateway to Hell". The fire has been burning in the Karakum desert since 1971 ...