A worker aboard one of Clovelly Oil Company’s oil rigs is missing, following a Sunday evening explosion on an oil platform on Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain.
Seven others were seriously injured in the blast.
Cleaning Chemicals Implicated in Clovelly Oil Rig Explosion
The explosion occurred sometime before 7:18 p.m. Sunday, when cleaning chemicals on the surface of the oil platform ignited. It’s currently unclear what caused the chemicals to ignite.
The oil platform involved in the explosion is located in an unincorporated area of Jefferson Parish, about 1.5 miles from the shore, northwest of the Treasure Chest Casino and approximately 5 miles west of the Williams Boulevard Boat Launch.
During a Sunday night news conference, East Bank Fire Department Chief David Tibbets stated that the Clovelly rig served as natural gas storage location and fed from other nearby rigs.
Five Oil Rig Workers Listed in Critical Condition with Serious Burns and Other Blast-Related Injuries
Five of the injured workers sustained “blast type injuries and burns” and were taken to University Medical Center, where they remain in critical condition.
Two other injured workers were taken to East Jefferson Emergency Medical Services and appear to be in stable condition.
“We believe that there is still one unaccounted for, although we are dealing with subcontractors and we’re trying to get names of everybody to make sure,” Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto said during last night’s news conference.
The Coast Guard is coordinating the search for the missing worker.
Names of the missing and injured were not available, but most are said to live in the New Orleans area.
Lake Pontchartrain Oil Platform Fire Expected to Burn for Several More Hours
The blast sparked a massive fire, producing flames that could be seen from the Kenner boat launch.
The blaze continued through the night and was still burning as of 8:00 a.m. Monday. The fire’s expected to burn for several more hours.
During their Sunday night news conference, officials acknowledged that oil could be spilling into Lake Pontchartrain.
According to Chief Tibbets, the goal is now to stop the oil flow and, if needed, let it burn off safely.
Any spill resulting from the oil rig explosion would not pose a threat to the area’s drinking water, as New Orleans and Jefferson Parish both draw water from the Mississippi.
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