LAFITTE, La. (AP) — A pipeline fire that was ignited when the pipe was hit by a tug boat pushing an oil barge burned into the early morning hours Wednesday in a bayou south of New Orleans.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Alex Washington says there's still liquid petroleum gas in the 19-mile pipeline and authorities are waiting for it to burn out. He says they also have to wait until daylight to get a measurement of how much oil has leaked from the barge.
Coast Guard Ensign Tanner Stiehl says the collision occurred Tuesday around 6 p.m. CDT on Bayou Perot, in a marshy area near where Lafourche and Jefferson parishes meet.
The Coast Guard said all crew members were able to exit the tug boat but the captain reportedly suffered severe burns.
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