Fire burns after tug, barge hit La. gas pipeline

A fire that ignited when a gas pipeline was hit by a tugboat pushing an oil barge burned into the morning hours today in a bayou south of New Orleans amid reports that oil had leaked into the water. There was still liquid petroleum gas in the 19-mile pipeline, and authorities were waiting for it to burn out, Coast Guard Petty Officer Alex Washington says. Coast Guard Ensign Tanner Stiehl says the collision happened Tuesday at about 6 p.m. on Bayou Perot, in a marshy area near where Lafourche and Jefferson parishes meet, about 30 miles south of New Orleans. The tugboat and barge were engulfed in flames and heavy smoke billowed from the scene. “All crew members were able to exit the tug; the captain reportedly suffered second- to third-degree degree burns,” the Coast Guard says in a news release today. Stiehl says the barge was carrying oil and that “there have been reports of oil in the water.” Washington says authorities later today will have a better idea of how much oil has leaked from the barge. It was holding 92,000 gallons of crude oil, the Coast Guard said. The tugboat had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel. WWL-TV reported that the tug’s captain was transferred to the burn center at Baton Rouge General Hospital. The Associated Press has more details in the full story here.