Fire burns after tug, barge hit La. gas pipeline
Coast Guard: Authorities letting fire burn out after tug, barge hit gas pipeline in La. bayou
This image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows a pipeline burning after a collision near Bayou Perot 30 miles south of New Orleans, Tuesday March 12, 2012. The 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. 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 said. (AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Petty Officer 3rd Class Carlos Vega)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A gas pipeline continued burning south of New Orleans hours after it was hit by a tug boat pushing an oil barge, however authorities said the barge itself did not appear to be leaking its cargo of oil.
Coast Guard Cmdr. Russ Bowen said Wednesday spots of oil sheen were visible over a mile-long area near the accident site at Bayou Perot, a marshy area about 30 miles south of New Orleans. But the barge itself appeared intact.
No evacuations were ordered in the sparsely populated area.
Four people aboard the tug Shanon E. Settoon were injured in Tuesday night's accident, one severely.
The pipeline carried liquefied petroleum gas. Its owner, Chevron Corp., isolated the segment. Bowen said what was left in the pipeline would be allowed to burn itself out.
