angelburst29
The Living Force
A platform exploded in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana on Sunday evening (Oct. 15) near St. Charles Parish and north Kenner, according to Kenner Police Department spokesman Sgt. Brian McGregor. Seven people were injured in the explosion, according to Kenner Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Kriss Fortunato, and authorities believe an eighth person is still missing.
Platform explosion rocks Kenner, injures 7 people Sunday (Video)
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/10/kenner_oil_rig_explosion_lake.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzexnm-ySTY (3:16 min.)
Search and rescue operations were ongoing Sunday at about 10:15 p.m. Rescue boats are being sent from the Kenner Boat Launch at the end of Williams Boulevard, McGregor said, and authorities asked that residents avoid the area as much as possible.
Five of those injured were taken to the University Medical Center and two to East Jefferson General Hospital, according to Mike Guillot, director of East Jefferson Emergency Medical Services. The five who were brought to UMC "have blast type injuries and burns" and are in critical condition, he said, and the two at East Jefferson are stable.
The platform, which is located in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, is in production and owned by Clovelly Oil Co., according to Taylor Darden, who is a lawyer for the company and listed with the Louisiana Secretary of State as its registered agent. East Bank Consolidated Fire Department Chief David Tibbets said Sunday that the platform is used for the transfer of oil, and the department's goal currently is to stop the oil flow and, if needed, let it burn off safely.
Oil rig fire in St. Charles Parish
A Facebook post from the City of Kenner Government noted that the fire ignited because of "cleaning chemicals ... on the surface of the oil rig platform," but Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto would not confirm that was the catalyst. Authorities will perform an investigation when the fire is out, he said.
A press release from the Coast Guard noted a Bayou Gauche Fire Department vessel and another "good Samaritan vessel are on scene fighting the fire."
The Coast Guard and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation will both conduct water quality evaluations, according to a press release from Jefferson Parish. In a press conference Sunday night, authorities acknowledged there was a possibility that the fire meant oil could be leaking into the lake, but noted that Jefferson Parish drinking water will remain safe because it is pulled from the Mississippi River.
More than six organizations were aiding in the response to the explosion, Conley said, including the Coast Guard, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Jefferson Parish, Kenner Police, St. Charles Parish, St. John Parish and several others.
Flames could be seen on the lake Sunday night from the area around the Kenner boat launch, and the air smelled like burning rubber. Spotlights shone on the water as at least one helicopter could be heard humming overhead and another rested on the ground near ambulances, fire trucks and dozens of police vehicles.
The first 911 calls started coming in at about 7:18 p.m., Conley said.
Despite some initial reports of the explosion damaging area homes, Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn that, so far, authorities have not found evidence of that.
There is nothing "that's going to hurt any homes at this point," he said.
Andrew Love, 32, said he was inside his house about 10 blocks away when he heard the explosion. "My house actually shook," he said. "At first I thought it was a sonic boom or something, I had no idea what was happening."
Stacy Oddo, was in her home near East Jefferson Hospital on Sunday evening when she said she hear the explosion. "It was a loud "boom." I thought it was a car accident or something."
Lake Pontchartrain oil platform fire extinguished; search continues for missing worker
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/10/lake_pontchartrain_platform_fi.html
The platform was described as "basically a semi-submersible barge" that services four nearby wells. It's owned by Clovelly Oil Co. of New Orleans, which has been working the lake's oil field since the early 1970s, company spokesman Tim O'Leary said.
The damaged structure is about 1 1/2 miles northwest of the Williams Boulevard boat launch in Kenner. "It gathers oil from three nearby wells. Then it holds the oil until the tank's capacity is met," at which point a barge arrives and moves the stored oil to an onshore site, O'Leary said.
A fourth well, for natural gas, also feeds the platform, O'Leary said. The gas is treated at the platform before moving onshore, he said. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources confirmed that the valve on the line from the gas well was turned off, but that natural gas continued to burn through Monday morning.
Officials have said the fire erupted Sunday night, burning natural gas that powers some of the platform's equipment.
O'Leary said the eight workers on the platform were a mix of Clovelly and contractor employees. He said they were doing maintenance work when the fire started, but he said he did not know the precise nature of their duties. The workers left the platform via a boat they had there, said Glen T. Boyd, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
Platform explosion rocks Kenner, injures 7 people Sunday (Video)
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/10/kenner_oil_rig_explosion_lake.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzexnm-ySTY (3:16 min.)
Search and rescue operations were ongoing Sunday at about 10:15 p.m. Rescue boats are being sent from the Kenner Boat Launch at the end of Williams Boulevard, McGregor said, and authorities asked that residents avoid the area as much as possible.
Five of those injured were taken to the University Medical Center and two to East Jefferson General Hospital, according to Mike Guillot, director of East Jefferson Emergency Medical Services. The five who were brought to UMC "have blast type injuries and burns" and are in critical condition, he said, and the two at East Jefferson are stable.
The platform, which is located in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, is in production and owned by Clovelly Oil Co., according to Taylor Darden, who is a lawyer for the company and listed with the Louisiana Secretary of State as its registered agent. East Bank Consolidated Fire Department Chief David Tibbets said Sunday that the platform is used for the transfer of oil, and the department's goal currently is to stop the oil flow and, if needed, let it burn off safely.
Oil rig fire in St. Charles Parish
A Facebook post from the City of Kenner Government noted that the fire ignited because of "cleaning chemicals ... on the surface of the oil rig platform," but Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto would not confirm that was the catalyst. Authorities will perform an investigation when the fire is out, he said.
A press release from the Coast Guard noted a Bayou Gauche Fire Department vessel and another "good Samaritan vessel are on scene fighting the fire."
The Coast Guard and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation will both conduct water quality evaluations, according to a press release from Jefferson Parish. In a press conference Sunday night, authorities acknowledged there was a possibility that the fire meant oil could be leaking into the lake, but noted that Jefferson Parish drinking water will remain safe because it is pulled from the Mississippi River.
More than six organizations were aiding in the response to the explosion, Conley said, including the Coast Guard, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Jefferson Parish, Kenner Police, St. Charles Parish, St. John Parish and several others.
Flames could be seen on the lake Sunday night from the area around the Kenner boat launch, and the air smelled like burning rubber. Spotlights shone on the water as at least one helicopter could be heard humming overhead and another rested on the ground near ambulances, fire trucks and dozens of police vehicles.
The first 911 calls started coming in at about 7:18 p.m., Conley said.
Despite some initial reports of the explosion damaging area homes, Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn that, so far, authorities have not found evidence of that.
There is nothing "that's going to hurt any homes at this point," he said.
Andrew Love, 32, said he was inside his house about 10 blocks away when he heard the explosion. "My house actually shook," he said. "At first I thought it was a sonic boom or something, I had no idea what was happening."
Stacy Oddo, was in her home near East Jefferson Hospital on Sunday evening when she said she hear the explosion. "It was a loud "boom." I thought it was a car accident or something."
Lake Pontchartrain oil platform fire extinguished; search continues for missing worker
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2017/10/lake_pontchartrain_platform_fi.html
The platform was described as "basically a semi-submersible barge" that services four nearby wells. It's owned by Clovelly Oil Co. of New Orleans, which has been working the lake's oil field since the early 1970s, company spokesman Tim O'Leary said.
The damaged structure is about 1 1/2 miles northwest of the Williams Boulevard boat launch in Kenner. "It gathers oil from three nearby wells. Then it holds the oil until the tank's capacity is met," at which point a barge arrives and moves the stored oil to an onshore site, O'Leary said.
A fourth well, for natural gas, also feeds the platform, O'Leary said. The gas is treated at the platform before moving onshore, he said. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources confirmed that the valve on the line from the gas well was turned off, but that natural gas continued to burn through Monday morning.
Officials have said the fire erupted Sunday night, burning natural gas that powers some of the platform's equipment.
O'Leary said the eight workers on the platform were a mix of Clovelly and contractor employees. He said they were doing maintenance work when the fire started, but he said he did not know the precise nature of their duties. The workers left the platform via a boat they had there, said Glen T. Boyd, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.