The Devil’s Cigarette Lighter (1962)

Duration: 0:33:55

Year Published: 1962

Sound: sound

Description: Narrated and produced by famous Texas firefighter and oil man Paul Neal “Red” Adair, this industrial film follows his efforts to extinguish an oil well fire in Algeria in 1961 and 1962. The oil fire, which became known internationally as “the Devil’s Cigarette Lighter,” spewed 700 feet into the air and burned 550 million cubic feet of gas per day and was reportedly seen by astronaut John Glenn during the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission in early 1962. The film details Adair’s months-long effort to build and deploy extensive custom equipment at the Sahara desert site, culminating in the placement and explosion of nitroglycerine near the base of the fire. After the fire was blown out, Adair’s team capped the well on May 28, 1962, more than six months since the fire began in November 1961. The fire became the basis for the 1968 film Hellfighters, starring John Wayne. This documentary was sponsored and distributed by Houston-based Cameron Iron Works.