Oil Containment Stops For Five Hours After Lightning Strike, Fire

June 15, 2010

(Updated 3:40 p.m.) A lightning strike and resulting fire shut down the oil containment effort in the Gulf of Mexico for about five hours today, according to BP.

According to BP, a small fire was observed at the top of the derrick on the Discoverer Enterprise at the leak site. The fire was quickly extinguished. The preliminary review indicates the fire was caused by a lightning strike.

There were no injuries. All procedures were followed and, as a precaution, the oil containment operation was shut-down, according to BP. All safety systems operated as designed, the oil company said.

The drillship is where about 630,000 gallons of oil per day are being siphoned from the blown-out well a mile below at the floor of the Gulf. Currently, no oil is being contained as a result of the fire.

After final safety and operational assurance inspections, operations restarted mid-afternoon, according to BP.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News