Whoops: There’s a fire on an oil rig in the Gulf. Like the Yogi Berra malapropism, it's déjà vu all over again.

From NOLA:

The Coast Guard is responding to a report of a rig explosion and fire "and people in the water'' in the Gulf of Mexico south of Vermilion Bay, authorities said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel said the rig is around 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay and that a helicopter earlier today reported that it was in fire "and that there was smoke and there were people in the water.''

UPDATE: Melissa Schwartz, spokeswoman for Bureau of Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement, said the platform was authorized to produce oil and gas at this water depth [ed.- 340 feet] but had not been recently in active production.

The Coast Guard has clarified this was not an oil drilling rig. I love this quote from Coast Guard spokesperson Katherine McNamara:  "We are not certain what this platform was used for, but often these platforms are used for storing oil for transshipment," McNamara said. The platform, however, is still on fire and there is a visible oil sheen. The platform is approximately 12 miles from the nearest shore and roughly 150 miles west of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil. (Pictured below.)
So can we look at alternative forms of energy? Pretty please with sugar on top?

Also tonight: March Gauthier's Gulf Coast Blues -- Oil in Our Veins, is ready for its world premiere at the Magic Lantern.

Timely.

---

---