Two people suffered minor injuries after a fire broke out on an offshore natural gas rig near the coast of Carpinteria Monday morning.
About 26 people were on platform Habitat and safely evacuated to Carpinteria, according to Kenneth Wiese, a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard told the News-Press. The call came in about 7:12 a.m.
Two minor injuries were reported but do not require higher medical attention, Wiese said. A 1000-yard safety zone is in effect around Platform Habitat. The USCG are also on scene to make sure the general public stays out of the area.
The USCG, Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol, Santa Barbara County Fire, Santa Barbara City Fire and Ventura County Fire responded to the scene. Coast Guard specialists from the Los Angeles-Long Beach also responded.
“The safety of personnel and protection of the environment remain the Unified Command’s highest priorities,” Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Marler, chief of incident management division for Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, said in a press release. “We are grateful for the interagency coordination amongst all of our partner agencies during this response.”
Responders and personnel onboard the platform reported the fire was extinguished by 11:40 a.m.
Photos from the USCG Southwest X account show agencies putting out the fire.
Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, said on X that his office is in active communication with the US Coast Guard to assess the situation.
An investigation into the cause for the fire will be conducted.
