PJ Media

Collapsing a well shaft would require an underground detonation to create subsidence of the overbearing rock and soil. An air burst, OTOH, would shatter above ground infrastructure like pipelines, pumping stations, refineries, etc. Meanwhile, the heat of the fireball ignites the spilling oil.

Strategic nuke scenarios during the Cold War usually called for double strikes of urban areas. The first wave shattered natural gas lines and fuel tanks while the second ignited the resulting volatile soup creating highly destructive firestorms. The exact same strategy works out here.