Commodities
'Zombie Fires' Smoldering Near Oil and Gas Wells Threaten Canada’s Drillers
Dozens of last year’s blazes are still burning under snow
This article is for subscribers only.
Leftover blazes from last year’s record wildfire season in Canada are threatening to knock out almost 3% of the country’s natural gas production.
A total of 50 so-called zombie fires still smoldering beneath layers of snow are located near oil and gas wells and other production facilities, according to government data analyzed by Bloomberg News. Those sites yield natural gas equivalent to about 80,000 barrels a day of oil in Canada’s energy heartland of Alberta alone, in addition to almost 14,000 barrels a day of crude.