On June 3, 1979, approximately 600 miles south of Texas, the deep exploratory well Ixtoc 1 suffered a blowout, caught fire, and began spilling oil into the ocean. The semi-submersible platform, leased by PEMEX, collapsed after the fire broke out, making efforts to control the blaze even more difficult. Over the following months, an estimated 3,522,400 barrels of oil were released as PEMEX struggled to contain the spill. The well was finally capped on March 23, 1980, allowing cleanup efforts to begin. Cleanup and containment costs were estimated at $498 million at the time, which would exceed $2 billion today when adjusted for inflation.