On May 10, 1982 a blaze at well No. 451 Turnu, produced a crater of 35 meters and the height of the ignited gas reached 70 meters. The well was drilled at 619 meters deep. The eruptive event began Monday, May 3 and after 7 days of bad and timid technical and political actions the inevitable occurred. In the night shift worked 32 people: engineers, oil workers, foremen and soldiers. The accumulation of gas in the perimeter of the well, along with favorable weather conditions, led to a strong blast with a devastating blow. 26 people (13 civilians and 13 soldiers) died in torments, and some were burned alive. The gas was ignited, according to a survivor, engineer Ioan Ciupuligă at 8 am from a headlamp, located in a stable nearby.
Fire-fighting operations began under the leadership of Colonel Valer Avram. To extinguish the fire, they brought 29 fire trucks from Arad, Bihor, Timis, Hunedoara, as well as two turbo jets from Pitesti and Ploiesti. In the meantime specialists with equipments from a chemical plant in Arad, permanent measured gas levels in the area. The wellhead flame was monitored all the time.
The well 451 Bis Turnu was drilled in May-July 1982 to a total depth of 935 m as a saving well after a blowout destroyed the well 451 Turnu in May 1982
Latitude and longitude of location: 46.22560254,21.21545862.