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Gulf of Mexico
Region Fires 2005 (77 total) 06-Jan-2005 Eni Deepwater LLC
Remarks: While restarting a compressor, the compressor backfired and allowed fuel gas to exit and ignite, causing a small fire around the exhaust expansion joint. The fire was extinguished with a hand held extinguisher. The expansion joint will be replaced.
09-Jan-2005 El Paso Field Services, L.P.
Remarks: A cracked 1 nipple on the dump line of a suction scrubber leaked condensate while being repaired. The condensate was allowed to form a puddle about 4 feet in diameter and Ό inch deep. An unknown source ignited the condensate and a brief fire occurred. The fire was extinguished within five minutes. Two employees were slightly injured and given first aid on location. 10-Jan-2005 Remington Oil and Gas Corporation
Remarks: A fire was detected in the rig generator room. Personnel responded to the fire and found the engine for No. 1 generator on fire. The fire was extinguished with dry chemical extinguishers. No injuries and total rig time lost was 15 minutes.
18-Jan-2005 Apache Corporation
Remarks: A contract employee was attempting to break bolts on a loose piece of process piping. The pipe was approx 2" in diameter and 12' long. A check valve and ball valve were located in the middle of this pipe about one inch away from each other. Neither valve was open nor could have been opened. When the employee could not break the bolts he attempted to cut the bolts with a cutting torch. As he made his cut a small amount of hydrocarbons that were trapped between the valves, flashed into his face. He was wearing goggles but received a small burn on his nose and cheek area. He was flown in to get checked by a doctor. The doctor diagnosed him with second degree burns and released him with antibiotic cream and pain medication to treat the wound.
19-Jan-2005 Unocal Exploration Corporation
Remarks: Due to vibration, the 3" nipple broke on the compressor hydraulic fan pump causing hydraulic oil to spill on the exhaust. Heat from the exhaust caused the hydraulic oil to burn. The fire was extinguished with a dry chemical wheel unit. 20-Jan-2005 BP Exploration & Production Inc.
Remarks: The crane operator began refueling the starboard crane alone while the crane was running. He went to the crane cab and became preoccupied with other work and forgot about the refueling operation. The diesel filled up the tank and approximately 15 gallons overflowed before the Bridge shut off the fuel. The spilled fuel ignited a fire in starboard crane engine compartment which was extinguished using dry chemical extinguishers and water. The fuel, oil, and fire fighting agents were contained within the engine compartment and crane pedestal. Damage to the engine compartment, electrical and mechanical equipment in the crane pedestal is estimated at $60,000. 23-Jan-2005 Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
Remarks: A small fire occurred at the air breather section of the fire water pump diesel engine. The fire was extinguished immediately with one 30lb. portable fire extinguisher. The fire water pump was shut in immediately. The hydrocarbon gas source was a slight leak in a union on the starter gas for the diesel fire water pump engine. The ignition source is believed to be the engine electrical wiring. The gas leak was repaired by tightening the union and the engine electrical wiring was checked for integrity and rerouted away from the gas driven starter. There were no injuries, no pollution, and no damage to equipment. 25-Jan-2005 Spinnaker Exploration Company, L.L.C.
Remarks: The 3" relief line and the 1" line from the top of the reboiler to the LSH had corroded, and glycol and light end distillate had saturated the insulation around the reboiler. The saturated insulation ignited and a small fire ensued. The unit was shutdown immediately. Two 30 lb. chemical fire extinguishers were utilized to extinguish the flames. Water was used extinguish any smoldering embers found in the insulation. There was damage to the insulation on the reboiler and associated piping. Personnel removed the insulation from the reboiler and inspected the associated piping. The reboiler will remain shut down until the piping is repaired and the insulation replaced. There were no injuries. 28-Jan-2005 Newfield Exploration Company
Remarks: Wind-born embers from the heater treater stack ignited a nearby welding tarp. Damage was limited to the tarp and wiring harness above the tarp. The tarp was used as a wind brake because wind was blowing out the flame in the heater treater. 02-Feb-2005 Pogo Producing Company
Remarks: A flash fire occurred at the gas compressor possibly due to a valve failure which may have caused the compressor to over heat. The platform shut-in under an ESD and the fire was immediately extinguished using dry chemical extinguisher. There were no injuries, no pollution or major damage to the facility. 07-Feb-2005 Pogo Producing Company
Remarks: Smoke and fire alarms sounded indicating a fire in the MCC building. The breaker for the heat media pump motor caught fire. The fire was extinguished and the breaker replaced. 10-Feb-2005 Newfield Exploration Company
Remarks: While cementing the 16-inch casing, a Haliburton pump emitted a puff of blue smoke and a small flame. A hand held dry chemical fire extinguisher was used to extinguish the flame. 14-Feb-2005 BP Exploration & Production Inc.
Remarks: A production operator noticed smoldering wire in the cable tray from the rig to the drilling quarters. The fire alarm sounded and all personnel responded appropriately. The power was switched off and an extinguisher was used as a precaution although no flames were observed. Electricians determined that moisture had penetrated a cable splice. All remaining wiring was inspected and all circuit breakers in the quarters were replaced. No injuries, property damage or pollution resulted from the fire. 18-Feb-2005 BP Exploration & Production Inc.
Remarks: While conducting maintenance on the emergency generator, the turbo charger overheated and caused a small fire. The facility lost all power and personnel were evacuated to a nearby platform as the life support systems were not functioning. No injury to personnel or pollution resulted; and damage was limited to the outboard turbo charger on the emergency generator.
26-Feb-2005 BP Exploration & Production Inc.
Remarks: In an attempt to reposition a coupling on a crankshaft, heat was applied to the coupling. At the same time, pressure was also applied to the coupling with a hydraulic power pack. During this process, it is believed that the hydraulic pressure hose for the power pack came in contact with the heat applied to the crankshaft and burst. When pressure was released, the escaping oil atomized and flashed from the heat applied to the coupling. The flash caused minor burns to a pipe fitter. No damage to property or pollution resulted from the fire. 05-Mar-2005 Unocal Exploration Corporation
Remarks: While cutting and welding on the heliport, slag fell on a 3/8 polyflow located above the controllers to the flare scrubbers. The slag melted the polyflow and the plastic covers for the controllers. The fire was extinguished with a 30 lb. fire extinguisher. 09-Mar-2005 El Paso Production Oil & Gas Company
Remarks: Operators noticed the exhaust pipe on the # 2 generator was cherry red, and a small fire was smoldering and burning the wall and insulation where the pipe penetrated the wall. The fire was extinguished and the area hosed down with water. Only 6-8" of the wall and insulation was damaged. 10-Mar-2005 BP Exploration & Production Company
Remarks: During welding operations in a safe welding area on the top deck, slag built up on the fire retardant tarp and ignited a small flame. The fire watch extinguished the flame immediately. There was no damage, pollution or injuries from the fire. 17-Mar-2005 Samson Contour Energy E&P, LLC
Remarks: Sparks were discovered discharging from the generators exhaust. The platform was shutdown at an ESD station and the fire extinguished using a fire extinguisher. 18-Mar-2005 El Paso Production Oil & Gas Company
Remarks: While rigging up a diesel generator to perform maintenance on the platform generator, the platform generator backfired. Smoke and small flames were coming from the air intake box. The fire was extinguished with a 30 lb. fire extinguisher. Damage was limited to a few hoses. 23-Mar-2005 Maritech Resources, Inc.
Remarks: The compressor backfired through the air intake and ignited an air filter. The small fire was quickly extinguished. 23-Mar-2005 Marlin Energy Offshore, L.L.C.
Remarks: All valves were removed from the braden head, casing spool, and tubing head in preparation for driving a 60 x 48 caisson. There was no pressure on the annulus when the valves were opened. VR plugs were installed in every flange and the caisson was driven to the depth of penetration of 120. The area was sniffed for gas. Cutting was completed on the caisson and the Texas Deck was removed. The iron was still hot and the VR plug installed in the 16 annulus started leaking gas which ignited. An employee rode the Texas deck down to the wellhead and extinguished the fire with a handheld 30 lb. dry chemical fire extinguisher. Subsequent inspection revealed that the VR plug was damaged and 300 lbs. of pressure was on the annulus. There were no injuries or pollution as a result of the incident.
9-Apr-2005
Newfield Exploration Company
Remarks: A small about of oil that had spilled onto the compressor engine exhaust from a loose fitting at the venture began to smolder and smoke. The compressor was shut down and a 30 lb. portable fire extinguisher was sprayed on the smoldering oil. The loose fitting was repaired and the compressor returned to service. There were no injuries, no pollution, and no damage to equipment. 22-Apr-2005 El Paso Prod. GOM Inc.
Remarks: While an employee was making his rounds on the platform, he smelled smoke and investigated to find the source of the fire. It was a US Filter Box, containing used oily rags, filters and absorbent pads on the North side of the production deck. The lid on the filter box was slightly warped, allowing air into the box. He immediately hit the platform ESD to alert personnel and shut in the platform. The fire team used one 30 lb. ABC extinguisher to extinguish the fire and then proceeded to cool the box and saturate the embers with water from the fire reel. They continued until embers were cooled and extinguished fully. 3-May-2005 SPN Resources, LLC
Remarks: At approximately 0700 hours, the C generator shut down due to high turbine temperature. The operator found a small fire burning on top of the oil reservoir and extinguished it with a fire extinguisher. Upon further inspection, it was determined there was still a fire burning on the inside of the exhaust collector of the generator engine. It was determined upon shut down that the #4 capsule oil seal had filled and oil was leaking into the exhaust collector and burning. Minimal external damage was sustained to the turbine engine.
08-May-2005 Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Remarks: A contract mechanic received minor burns while working on a generator. He removed the discharge piping from the generator and applied gas to the starter and started the engine. A loose connection associated with the spark plug wiring ignited engine exhaust gas. The flash fire extinguished itself without damaging the generator.
10-May-2005
Noble Energy Inc.
Remarks: A small fire was noticed on the #2 therminol pump motor. The flame was 1-2 inches high coming out around the shaft of the motor. Once the pump was shut off, the flame died out.
17-May-2005
Chevron USA Inc.
Remarks: During P & A Operations on a well, a small flash fire occurred when a rod blew out of the block on the power pack for the tubing tongs. The fire lasted for 30 seconds and was extinguished with a chemical unit. There where no injures and no pollution.
26-May-2005
Chevron USA Inc.
Remarks: An air compressor providing instrument air supply at SM 99B caught fire and was extinguished by field personnel. The fire was reported to minor with a small amount of damage to the air compressor and some emergency equipment next to the unit. Hydraulic oil used to operate the unit was released into the waters around the platform. Pollution involved in the incident was estimated to be a half gallon. No injuries were reported.
27-May-2005
Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp.
Remarks: The barge supervisor and ABS inspector were going into the room to do an inspection, and noticed a small flame on the engine manifold of EMD. The alarm was sounded, quarters evacuated, and the fire team responded. The small fire was extinguished utilizing a hand held extinguisher. The main engines had not been run at 100% capacity for approximately two months, and this allowed oil to build up in and on the exhaust manifold. Once he engine was brought up to 100% capacity, the exhaust temperatures were hot enough to ignite and cause a small flame on the exhaust manifold.
1-June-2005
Nexen Petroleum USA Inc
Remarks: A smoldering type fire with minor flames was detected and extinguished immediately with the firewater system by the on duty night operator as he was making routine rounds. The investigation determined that the smoldering fire was the result of a painters tarp remaining in contact with the base plate of a muffler (ignition source) on a gas generator natural gas prime mover for an extended period of time. The tarp was initially placed over the generator by a paint crew member to prevent paint from making contact with the generator exhaust system. There were no injuries to personnel and no pollution as a result of the fire. Damage was minor and restricted to the painters tarp. 7-June-2005 BP Exploration & Production Inc.
Remarks: While grinding the inside of the oil export riser during the flexjoint repair, a small ball of flame was observed inside the pipe moving up the pipe. The flame went out before exiting out the top of the pipe. The line had been decommissioned and filled with water before the incident. No injuries to personnel or damage to equipment occurred.
11-June-2005
Chevron USA Inc
Remarks: A small fire occurred around the engine turbocharger and exhaust on the number one gas generator. The fire was extinguished within 30 seconds utilizing a 30# dry chemical fire extinguisher. There was no significant damage to the equipment, nor was anyone injured during this event.
18-June-2005
Noble Energy Inc
Remarks: Personnel were repairing a leak on an incoming gas pipeline. The leak was located under the production deck during an attempted hydro-test. They were unable to remove bolts by hand tools, so they borrowed a torch from the dive boat. An 8-inch low pressure flare line ran along the side where they were and about seven feet away, on the bottom side, was a weld-o-let, without a plug in it that was allowing LP vent gas to escape. When cutting, some slag blew in this area and caught fire. Personnel on the dive boat informed platform personnel of the fire.
18-June-2005
Chevron USA Inc
Remarks: Gas blow-by occurred from the H.P. separator water dump, which in turn dumps to the produced water skimmer. The skimmer operates in atmospheric service and the vent gas off the skimmer relieves to the oil stock tank which has two primary VPSV's and two secondary VPSV's. When the primary vents could not keep up with the amount of gas being relieved to the oil stock tank, the secondary vents which are local vents relieved causing a large accumulation of gas next to the gas compressor and generator building and the fire occurred. 24-June-2005 Chevron USA Inc
Remarks: An employee noticed a red glow on the top of the port jack house. The alarm was sounded and fire team was assembled. The ESD for the platform was activated and the rig floor was secured. Engines were brought down to idle to allow the #2 exhaust to cool, and then the #2 engine was shut down. Cause of fire - Molly lube lubrication had fallen on an exposed section of the #2 exhaust causing it to ignite. Fire hoses were charged and the fire was extinguished.
28-June-2005
BP Exploration & Prod. Inc
Remarks: A rental air compressor was started at approximately 9:45 am for blasting operations. The unit ran until about 1-hour and 45-minutes, when a worker noticed smoke and grinding sounds coming from the compressor enclosure. The unit shut down on its own. When the platform operator opened the enclosure doors, he noticed a small fire near the air compressor engine which was quickly extinguished.
29-June-2005
BP Exploration & Prod. Inc
Remarks: Malfunction of air compressor caused a small fire confined to the air compressor. The fire was extinguished by hand held fire units.
30-June-2005
Forrest Oil Corp.
Remarks: Production Management, Inc. (PMI) operators on HI 334-B were notified by a PHI pilot from HI 264 that there was a fire on the HI A-287 unmanned platform at 11:45 a.m. The PHI pilot was going to fly two PMI operators to the platform, but decided it was too dangerous to land. He returned the operators to HI 334-B. The PMI operators waited for their field helicopter to return to the field. The PMI field helicopter pilot picked up three PMI hands from HI A-334 B and flew to HI A-287. The pilot decided to land and let the three hands off and then left. The PMI hands immediately began fighting the fire. The fire took about twenty minutes to extinguish. The fire flashed back up and the operators determined the fire was being fed downstream due to the FSV not holding and the PSV not working possibly because of the heat from the fire. The gas was shut off with the block valve and fire extinguished at that time. Four 350# wheel units and twelve 30# hand held fire extinguishers were used to fight the fire, and Purple-K was in the extinguishers. When the PMI hands pressured up two of the wheel units, the hoses blew off due to fire damage. The hoses were also burned off of two of the 30# extinguishers. 08-JULY-2005 ATP Oil & Gas Corporation
Remarks: While drilling ahead, a roustabout saw flames shooting 2-4 feet outside the end of the rigs engine exhaust pipe. It was a "chimney fire" where accumulated soot and unburned fuel caught fire while the engine was running hot under a full load. The fire was contained inside the exhaust system, except for the very end of the pipe. The accumulated chimney soot was allowed to burn out in the fire lasting approximately 5-7 minutes. Then the engine was shut down and inspected. There was no damage. 13-JULY-2005 Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Remarks: The fire detection alarm for the turbine compressor sounded at 23: 59 and the compressor safety systems shut the unit down. The fire suppression system (C02) self activated and extinguished the flame. There were no injuries or environmental incidents as a result of this fire. Preliminary signs are that there was no significant damage as a result of this incident. The fire was also confined to the compressor enclosure area itself and therefore suffered no damage to the platform. 14-JULY-2005 Noble Energy, Inc.
Remarks: During welding and fabrication operations, hot slag fell to a lower deck and ignited gas leaking from a 1-in ball valve. The fire was extinguished with a hand held unit dry chemical unit.
20-JULY-2005 Forest Oil Corporation
Remarks: While operator personnel were trouble shooting a compressor coolant leak, a flash fire occurred when they attempted to restart the compressor. The fire was immediately extinguished with a hand held 30 pound dry chemical unit. One person was injured with 1st and 2nd degree burns on both arms. He was taken to the hospital, treated and released. 20-JULY-2005 Energy Partners, Ltd.
Remarks: The glycol reboiler unit Burner Safety Low safety device self-activated causing the glycol unit to shut-in. The operators went to trouble-shoot the problem and looked in the peep hole of the fired glycol unit to see if the burner was still lit and saw a small fire in the fire tube. They turned the gas supply off to the burner and took the peep hole cover off and extinguished the fire. After investigating the problem, a couple of pin holes were found leaking glycol into the fire tube spraying glycol onto the burner. 21-JULY-2005 Apache Corp.
Remarks: At approximately midnight a fire alarm sounded on the platform. Personnel discovered a fire originating from the Glycol Reboiler Unit. They attempted to extinguish the fire with hand held and portable wheel units of dry chemicals but were unsuccessful. They called the USCG and were evacuated at 02:00 hours by the USCG. At 03:00 hours a motor vessel arrived and extinguished the fire with a water cannon from the boat by 03:45 hours. There were no injuries or pollution. 21-JULY-2005 Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Remarks: At approximately 12:30 hours a PIS contract scaffold builder observed smoke and burning insulation on the platform generator fuel gas manifold. He notified his supervisor immediately. 25-JULY-2005 Shell Offshore Inc.
Remarks: During welding and burning operations on the 45-foot deck level, hot slag fell below to the sump deck level. The slag fell on the platform sump pump below that had gas leaking from the pump packing gland and a small fire occurred. The fire was extinguished immediately. 26-JULY-2005 Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc.
Remarks: An extremely minor fire (similar to the pilot light on a hot water heater) occurred as casing was being cut on the K-7 well. The source of the hydrocarbon was a half inch needle valve on the casing of an adjacent well. The area was sniffed with a portable gas detection unit and the area determined to be clear of hydrocarbons prior to making the K-7 casing cut. The small fire was extinguished immediately by the fire watch with one 30 pound portable fire extinguisher. There were no injuries, no pollution and no damage to equipment. 27-JULY-2005 Helis Oil & Gas Company, L.L.C.
Remarks: While the welder was welding on deck penetration for production process piping, a block valve on the separator dump line was accidentally kicked partially open, causing a little condensate to drip in a skid pan that had water in the pan. A spark from the welder's arc caused a little flash fire in the pan. The fire watch was on hand and immediately extinguished the fire. 02-AUG-2005 Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Remarks: A fire occurred on the water surface at the J-Platform, while welding and burning operations were being conducted on the +10 elevation boat landing deck. The sea water gas heat exchanger had a leak in the gas tube which allowed gas to escape out of the seawater over board discharge line. The gas was ignited from the hot slag. The fire was immediately extinguished with a 30 pound dry chemical unit. There were no injuries. 08-AUG-2005 ChevronTexaco Corporation
Remarks: During a welding and burning operation, some exposed plastic visqueen was ignited by hot slag. The small fire was extinguished immediately. 11-AUG-2005 Apache Corporation
Remarks: During welding and burning operations a construction crew was in the process of hot bolting on an 8-inch pipeline riser flange at the +10 deck level when a small gas leak that emanated from the flange area ignited and caused a fire. The operator pulled the ESD and the fire was quickly extinguished with a 30 pound hand-held dry chemical fire extinguisher. There were no injuries, pollution or equipment damages reported.
13-AUG-2005 Energy Resource Technology, Inc.
Remarks: A welder was injured while cutting stiffeners in the port leg. While in the process of cutting a stiffener, a piece of hot metal or slag landed on his cutting torch oxygen hose causing it to rupture. The escaping oxygen caused a flash fire. His cutting torch was positioned between his legs when the flare up occurred. This ignition was immediately noticed by the fire watch and the valve to the oxygen cylinder was quickly closed. He received 1st and 2nd degree burns on his inner thighs and groin area. He was sent in for medical treatment. He was rehabilitated and was scheduled to return to work in two weeks. 13-AUG-2005 ChevronTexaco Corporation
Remarks: A fitter/welder was welding near some stainless steel tubing and did not cover it properly and he arced on a P-32 chemical line. This caused a small fire which was extinguished with the help of a fire blanket. No one was injured and no property damage. 18-AUG-2005 ExxonMobil Oil Corporation
Remarks: At 07:00 hours the compressor shut down for no apparent reason. The operator attempted to restart the unit and saw smoke coming from the right bank turbocharger. He walked around the unit and noticed a small flame on the exhaust insulation. He extinguished the flame immediately. The unit will stay shut in until the problem is corrected. There was small damage to the seals on the turbocharger and insulation. No pollution or injury to personnel. 20-AUG-2005 Hunt Oil Company
Remarks: Two operators were dropped off the unmanned platform to bring it back to production. As the helicopter prepared to depart, the operators were at the main control panel and heard a low thumping sound and saw flames coming from the corner of the platform where the oil pumps are located. They activated the ESD system. The fire became intense immediately and the operators abandoned the platform, evacuating to a nearby platform via the helicopter. The operators called for help, and a nearby work boat arrived on the scene. The work boat crew extinguished the fire with water. Cooling water was continued and the platform was monitored for flashback. They later boarded the platform to shut various valves to prevent pollution. 24-AUG-2005 Kerr-McGee Corporation
Remarks: While in the process of restoring the platform to production, liquid was seen coming out the top of theglycol distill column and onto the reboiler exhaust stack. A small fire ignited. The fire was extinguished. There were no injuries or damages to the Platform or its equipment. 17-SEP-2005 ChevronTexaco Corporation
Remarks: A centrifugal oil pump caught fire. The pump apparently lost prime and overheated. The centrifugal oil pump seal package sprung a leak and the pump caught fire. 28-SEP-2005 ExxonMobil Oil Corporation
Remarks: While performing welding and burning hot work in the cellar area, hot slag fell to the deck below and ignited gas trapped in a 1-inch piece of pig trap purge piping. The fire was put out with a fire extinguisher. 04-OCT-2005 Marathon Oil Corporation
Remarks: A fire caused by a rental generator occurred on the drill deck. The 4 to 6-inch fire was immediately put out with a portable fire extinguisher. 19-OCT-2005 Apache Oil Corporation
Remarks: At approximately midnight the generator power went off and the fire alarm sounded. Platform personnel responded to their muster station. The alarm panel indicated a fire in the generator room. Production personnel reported to the scene and discovered a fire at the gas generator, encompassing the carburetor and air breather. Respondents extinguished the fire with two 30-pound dry chemical extinguishers. The platform safety system functioned as intended. There were no personnel injuries or pollution as a result of this incident. 26-OCT-2005 NCX Company, L.L.C.
Remarks: A small fire occurred while contract crews were repairing damaged grating on the cellar deck level at the A platform. A small amount of gas undetected at the time was leaking from the conductor pipe of the well. The leaking gas was ignited when a welder was attempting to cut some damaged grating around the well. The area was sniffed prior to the cutting and burning activities. The fire was quickly extinguished by the person assigned to the fire watch. No injuries, property damage or pollution occurred as a result of the incident.
30-OCT-2005 Marlin Energy Offshore, L.L.C.
Remarks: The crew was preparing the well for a sidetrack. One contract person was burned during welding and burning operations on the well head. He was attempting to remove some bolts from a weld head flange with a burning torch when some gas that was trapped in the flange migrated up the well head tubing hanger and ignited. The fire was caused by trapped pressure. This was a flash fire that happened quickly and self extinguished. 01-NOV-2005 Nexen Petroleum USA Inc.
Remarks: Two representatives with ANR pipeline were attempting to perform maintenance on two meter runs at EI 259-A platform when a small fire occurred. While performing maintenance on the meter run several ounces of condensate leaked out onto the floor of the meter shack. An electrical unit used for maintenance malfunctioned causing a carrying case to burn and ignite the spilled condensate. The fire was quickly put out using two portable fire extinguishers. The damage to the equipment and meter shack was est |
