President Berdimuhamedov announced in January 2022 that the Darvaza Crater, commonly known as “The Gates of Hell”, must be closed this year. Located in Turkmenistan, the 70m wide crater has been burning for over 50 years. This is as a result of a Soviet mining collapse in 1971 that caused a methane leak. The response to the noxious gas was to set it alight, falsely expecting the fire to burn out within three weeks.

Source: one