Flaming ‘portal to hell’ spotted in the middle of the desert on Google Maps

A FLAMING “portal to hell” has been spotted in the middle of the desert on Google Maps, leaving internet users baffled. But is everything as dangerous as it sounds?

THIS flaming “Door to Hell” in the middle of the desert has left Google Earth users baffled — and somewhat alarmed.

The blazing red crater is prominent on the map — but, until now, many people didn’t have a clue what it is, reports The Sun.

Turns out the spot is actually the Darvaza Gas Crater — one of the most bizarre places on Earth.

Also known as the “Door to Hell”, the site in the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan is a popular tourist site, thanks to its one of a kind nature.

The shot of the Door to Hell on Google Maps

An enormous crater, the site has burned continuously since 1971, leaving scientists puzzled.

It has a 70 metre diameter and is 30m deep — and many are said to use it as a giant campfire.

Full of fire, boiling mud and huge orange flames, the site was named “Door to Hell” by locals.

The Darvaza Crater was created when the gas field collapsed into an underground cavern.

Soviet scientists were searching for oil in the area in 1971, and found the methane reserve, which caused the area to collapse, releasing the gas.

Worried about the effects of the dangerous gas, the scientists set the gas alight to make the area safe.

However, the gas has been burning for more than four decades, even after scientists expected it to burn out after a few weeks.

Heaven meets hell as the milky way ascends over the Darvaza gas crater in the Karakom desert, Turkmenistan. Picture: Tino Solomon

‘DOOR TO HELL’ WHY HAS THIS CRATER BEEN BURNING FOR 40 YEARS?

The Darvaza (Darweze) natural gas crater is an endlessly smouldering geological anomaly located in Karakum Desert, Turkmenistan.

Known locally as the “Door to Hell,” this little-known tourist attraction has been on fire for at least four decades.

It was found by a group of Russian geologists in 1971 — when the ground beneath their drilling equipment collapsed creating the abyss.

The diameter of the hole is about 70 metres.

They were searching for natural gas and found so much of it that harvesting it became unsafe.

With noxious gases threatening to harm nearby villages, the geologists set the crater ablaze, unwittingly lighting the largest barbecue known to man.

The crater has been on fire ever since and shows no sign of stopping. Visible from a great distance, the glow can even be seen in Google Earth’s City Lights layer.

This story first appeared on The Sun.