An alarming call concerning a “blue glow” shook up a volunteer fire department last week, just outside the rural area of Highway 20 North in Wyoming, United States.
Expecting the usual flames, firefighters at the scene were shocked to witness an unusual blaze like no other.
According to The Washington Post, the mesmerizing scene was caused by a burning sulfur mound.
With the smell of sulfur (which residents likened to rotten eggs) quickly engulfing the area, respondents had to act quickly but were faced with uncertainty, as extinguishing sulfur fire was much different than dealing with regular flames.
After twenty minutes, the crew was able to extinguish the fire using a small amount of water from the fire truck and firefighting foam.
Meanwhile, a clip of the fiery scene became a viral hit on Facebook, with the original video garnering over 2 million views and over 49,000 shares.
According to the clip’s caption, the sulfur mound was a leftover from the Texas Gulf Sulfur Plant, which operated in the town in the 1950s.
The chemical element was mixed heavy soil—making it almost undetectable for residents—but proved to still be highly flammable.
Wyoming’s fire chief Chris Kocher, meanwhile, shared his amazement upon the media attention the blaze received.
“You don’t see a bluish blazing field every day, and that’s probably what got people hooked,” he said. “It’s interesting to see how far the video has traveled”. Khristian Ibarrola/JB
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