'We Never Learn': Oil Platform Caught Fire in Gulf of Mexico
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 service also 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:
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