Gulf oil platform considered a fire; not an explosion

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Friday, September 3, 2010 - 3:00am

No leak detected; no injuries

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A company official says the incident aboard a Mariner Energy oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico is considered a fire, not an explosion.
 

The Coast Guard says there was no leak, and no one was killed.
 

The Coast Guard initially reported that an oil sheen a mile long and 100 feet wide had begun to spread from the site, about 200 miles west of the source of BP's massive spill.  But hours later, the Coast Guard said crews were unable to find any spill.  Houston-based Mariner Energy says the cause is still undetermined.

Workers who were pulled from the water told rescuers that there was a blast on board, but Mariner Energy's Patrick Cassidy says only a small portion of the platform is burned and it's still intact.  Mariner says seven active production wells on the platform had been shut down shortly before the fire broke out.

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