The Living Fires Of Eastern Romania

These are the wild gas fires of Turca, a village in Romania’s hilly Buzau County.

 

The fires of Turca are some of several that feed off leakage from natural gas deposits beneath these hills, northeast of Bucharest, and spontaneously combust.

In a forest near the village of Lopatari, also in Buzau County, fires burn that locals say have flickered for some 2,000 years.

 

Living fires burn in a forest near Lopatari.

Ion Zota, the former mayor of Lopatari, told RFE/RL the first record of Buzau’s living fires was made by an observer of the Dacian wars, at the beginning of the second century. But the fires were also noticed by invaders in a more recent conflict.

Gas flames sputter inside a rock in a forest near Lopatari.

Zota, who now runs a small museum dedicated to Buzau County, said that during World War II, "there was set to be a large battle between [Soviet] and German troops at Lopatari." That battle never took place but today some German descendents of the Nazi troops come to the region to seek out the wild flames, "because their ancestors remembered this unquenchable fire," Zota said.

 

Gas fires emanate from the ground on the outskirts of Andreiasu de Jos in Romania’s Vrancea County.

Several myths seek to explain the unearthly phenomenon, including one of a local hero decapitating a multiheaded, fire-breathing dragon whose mouths still flicker with fire from beneath the ground. 

 

Natural gas fires near Turca

Another myth of how the unearthly fires came to be cites a pair of girls who were chased by thieves. As the girls fled, the ground opened up beneath the thieves, plunging them straight into hell before closing once more, leaving flickering tongues of hellfire.

 

An aerial view of the natural gas fires (in a dirt patch in center of image) near Turca

Zota says along with several known fires in this region of Romania, more exist that locals keep to themselves. "The small fires appear and disappear according to the seismic activity in the area,” the historian told RFE/RL.

An ant that measured around 2 centimeters from head to tail, passes near the fire near Lopatari.

Some ant populations have established nests in soil warmed by the fires near Lopatari. The insects are varied in size, but include some giant ants such as the one photographed above that was nearly as large as a wasp.
 

Natural gas flames in Andreiasu de Jos

Analysis done of the fires in Andreiașu de Jos showed the gas was mostly methane, but carbon dioxide and valuable helium gas were also leaking from the site

A flame is depicted at the entrance to Andreiasu de Jos village. 

Local media reported that in Andreiasu de Jos, where access to Romania's living fires is easiest, visitors to the flames were declining in recent years. One local expressed hope that "something can be done for this area so that it does not fall into anonymity."