Workers Evacuated from Burning Oil Platform

Posted in Oil Refinery Law on May 11, 2015

On Friday, May 22, there was a fire on an offshore oil production platform in Brenton Sound. 28 workers managed to escape the flames injury free, and were taken to Venice for safety.

The Coast Guard received a call at 2:50 a.m. about the fire. The stubborn fire continued to burn until responding crews were finally able to completely extinguish it at about 6 a.m. the following day. According to Texas Petroleum Investment Co. spokesman David Margulies, the accident was caused by a rented compressor on the rig that caught fire. This particular platform gathers oil from 50-60 individual wells, producing about 2,200 barrels per day, which are pumped elsewhere through a pipeline. The wells were shut down when the fire started.

While the storage tanks on this platform can hold up to 4,000 barrels of oil, only 130 barrels were being stored at the time of the fire. The Coast Guard reported a 1.4 nautical mile long rainbow sheen surrounding the platform, but with spill response cleanup operations, the sheen has already begun dissipating and moving away from the Breton Island Wildlife Refuge. “Our company is working with the Coast Guard and other agencies to address any environmental issues that develop,” Margulies said.

“There was no shoreline impact or injury to wildlife reported,” the Coast Guard reported.

It is a miracle that no one was hurt in this fire. Many oilfield workers have not been so lucky. If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in an oil refinery accident, contact a Texas oil refinery explosion lawyer today.

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