Fire at offshore gas platform prompts evacuation

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/science/article/Coast-Guard-heads-to-fire-at-offshore-gas-platform-5796708.php



A plume of smoke rises from Hilcorp's Baker platform on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014 near Nikiski, Alaska. The fire appeared to be out later in the morning, but vessels at the scene were still battling smoke, the Coast Guard said. The platform is 8 miles off shore. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and Petty Officer Joshua Yates said no fuel spilled into the inlet’s waters.

Fire at offshore gas platform prompts evacuation
By RACHEL D'ORO, Associated Press : October 2, 2014 : Updated: October 3, 2014 2:02am

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A fire Thursday at an offshore natural gas platform in Alaska's Cook Inlet destroyed the crew's living quarters and forced four workers to evacuate, but no one was injured and the environmental risk was considered minimal, responders said.

The blaze broke out at about 7:30 a.m. By evening, the unified command set up for the incident said the fire was fully contained. An earlier Coast Guard report that the fire flared up again was incorrect.

Hilcorp Alaska LLC owns the platform and 11 others among the total of 16 platforms in the inlet, a vast body of water with stunning mountain views.

The platform would be monitored through the night, the unified command including Hilcorp, the Coast Guard and the state Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement.