Platform Habitat, an offshore platform that used to produce natural gas, caught fire today around 6:30 AM PDT. The fire was extingushed at 11:40 AM PDT.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard - one of the responding agencies - the crew of the platform were conducting decommissioning operations for the platform which had previously stopped producing natural gas from 20 wells.
According to news reports, there were 26 personnel on board the platform when the fire started and all of them had been successfully returned onshore with only two minor injuries. Some of those personnel have returned to the platform to conduct safety work.
At this time, there has been no oil spill or other apparent adverse impact to marine life or the environment, however, an investigation into just what happened is underway.
Other agencies that responded to the fire included the Ventura County and City Fire Departments, the Santa Barbara County and City Fire Departments, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and the Marine Spill Response Corporation.
Platform Habitat was originally installed by Texaco in 1981 and began operations in 1983 as part of the Pitas Point Field in the federal Pacific Outer Continental Shelf. It is located approximately 7.5 miles southwest of Santa Barbara in 290 feet of water depth. Several other companies have since operated the platform which sent gas via pipelines to processing facilities in nearby Carpinteria. The current operator is Dos Cuadras Offshore Resources.
