An offshore oil platform caught fire about 80 miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana. (Photo: AFP/Saul Loeb)
Jan 05, 2017
An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire at about 2:30am Thursday morning, according to the Associated Press, and Reuters reported that the fire was put out at 9:30am.
While Coast Guard officer Travis Magee told AP that no pollution had been reported, the wire servicealso noted that Clean Gulf, an industry-run oil spill clean-up organization, had sent an emergency response team to the site.
Four workers escaped the fire by jumping into the ocean and were rescued by a nearby supply vessel, AP wrote. There were no injuries reported.
The Coast Guard says it is investigating the incident, and there is no word yet on what company owns the platform in question. UPI notes that "[o]nline vessel-tracking data show the oil tanker Eva Schulte is near the site of the incident."
The oil platform is about 80 miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana, one of the frontline communities still struggling with the devastating aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.
"We never learn," commented biologist Daniel Schneider on Twitter:
\u201c#Breaking: Fire on #oil platform in Gulf of Mexico. Crew rescued. No word yet about amount of oil spilled. We never learn. #environment\u201d— Daniel Schneider (@Daniel Schneider) 1483620325
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire at about 2:30am Thursday morning, according to the Associated Press, and Reuters reported that the fire was put out at 9:30am.
While Coast Guard officer Travis Magee told AP that no pollution had been reported, the wire servicealso noted that Clean Gulf, an industry-run oil spill clean-up organization, had sent an emergency response team to the site.
Four workers escaped the fire by jumping into the ocean and were rescued by a nearby supply vessel, AP wrote. There were no injuries reported.
The Coast Guard says it is investigating the incident, and there is no word yet on what company owns the platform in question. UPI notes that "[o]nline vessel-tracking data show the oil tanker Eva Schulte is near the site of the incident."
The oil platform is about 80 miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana, one of the frontline communities still struggling with the devastating aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.
"We never learn," commented biologist Daniel Schneider on Twitter:
\u201c#Breaking: Fire on #oil platform in Gulf of Mexico. Crew rescued. No word yet about amount of oil spilled. We never learn. #environment\u201d— Daniel Schneider (@Daniel Schneider) 1483620325
An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire at about 2:30am Thursday morning, according to the Associated Press, and Reuters reported that the fire was put out at 9:30am.
While Coast Guard officer Travis Magee told AP that no pollution had been reported, the wire servicealso noted that Clean Gulf, an industry-run oil spill clean-up organization, had sent an emergency response team to the site.
Four workers escaped the fire by jumping into the ocean and were rescued by a nearby supply vessel, AP wrote. There were no injuries reported.
The Coast Guard says it is investigating the incident, and there is no word yet on what company owns the platform in question. UPI notes that "[o]nline vessel-tracking data show the oil tanker Eva Schulte is near the site of the incident."
The oil platform is about 80 miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana, one of the frontline communities still struggling with the devastating aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.
"We never learn," commented biologist Daniel Schneider on Twitter:
\u201c#Breaking: Fire on #oil platform in Gulf of Mexico. Crew rescued. No word yet about amount of oil spilled. We never learn. #environment\u201d— Daniel Schneider (@Daniel Schneider) 1483620325
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.