A U.S. federal official has confirmed that a fire has broken out on a blown-out Gulf of Mexico gas well.


Eileen Angelico of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement confirmed to The Associated Press that the evacuated rig caught fire late Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.


The drilling rig involved was evacuated early Tuesday when the blowout occurred.


Angelico says it wasn't immediately clear what caused the gas to ignite. And it wasn't known what efforts to extinguish the blaze were being made early Wednesday.


Personnel with Wild Well Control Inc. were at the site to assess how and when to try to bring the well under control.