Oil Platform Catches Fire North of UK - AP

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Oil Platform Catches Fire North of UK

Sunday November 25, 2007 11:31 AM

LONDON (AP) - An oil platform in the North Sea
caught fire Sunday, and helicopters were fighting
strong winds to rescue the 159 workers aboard it,
the Royal Air Force said.

At least 44 of the workers were quickly removed
from the Thistle Alpha platform about 120 miles
northwest of Britain's Shetland Islands, and seven
rescue helicopters were trying to save the others,
said RAF spokesman Michael Mulford.

Battling strong northwesterly winds, the rescue
helicopters - some from Britain and some from
Norway - were taking rescued workers to three
nearby oil platforms, Mulford said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7102036,00.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. 'Serious' oil blaze extinguished

A "very serious" fire on a North Sea platform with 159 people on board has been completely extinguished.

A major rescue operation had earlier been launched to evacuate crew from the Thistle Alpha platform after smoke and flames were seen at 0830 BST.
...
The fire was extinguished by 1100 GMT. There are no reports of casualties.
...
About 116 crew members had been evacuated by 1100 GMT. They were understood to be returning to the rig after the blaze was put out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7111750.stm

[NNadir]

2. I'm sure we'll hear from all the anti-nukes about this serious fossil fuel accident.

I mean every time there is a leaky pipe in a nuclear facility, whether or not it was serious or caused an injury, they talk about it year after year after year after year after year.

Actually, the entire anti-nuke community couldn't care less about this accident. If every person on that platform had been roasted to a crisp, they'd still be whining about how they think - because they heard somewhere from someone who knows someone who read a paper written by illiterate ratical.org types that someone possibly maybe might have conceivably died from Three Mile Island in 1979.

The oil company should fly Amory Lovins for $500,000 worth of Greenwashing. He gives bulk discounts, I think.