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NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) - Another oil rig exploded and caught fire Thursday off the Louisiana coast, spreading a mile-long oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico west of the site of BP's massive spill. All 13 crew members were rescued.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about 100 feet wide, was spotted near the platform. Firefighting vessels were battling the flames.

The company that owns the rig, Houston-based Mariner Energy, did not know what caused the blast, which was reported by a helicopter flying over the area.

Crew members were found floating in the water, huddled together in survival outfits called "gumby suits."

"These guys had the presence of mind, used their training to get into those gumby suits before they entered the water. It speaks volumes to safety training and the importance of it because, beyond getting off the rig, there's all the hazards of the water such as hypothermia," Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said.

The crew was being flown to a hospital in Houma. Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said one person was injured, but the company said there were no injuries.

Seven Coast Guard helicopters, two airplanes and three cutters were dispatched to the scene.

The platform is in about 340 feet of water and about 100 miles south of Louisiana's Vermilion Bay. It's location is considered shallow water, much less than the approximately 5,000 feet where BP's well spewed oil and gas for three months after the April rig explosion.

Responding to any oil spill in shallow water would be much easier than in deep water, where crews depend on remote-operated vehicles access equipment on the sea floor.

The rig is a fixed platform that was in production at the time of the fire, according to a homeland security operational update obtained by The Associated Press.

The update said the platform was producing 58,800 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The platform can store 4,200 gallons of oil.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Mariner Energy officials told him there were seven active production wells on the platform, and they were shut down shortly after the fire broke out.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama was in a national security meeting at the time of the accident.

"We obviously have response assets ready for deployment should we receive reports of pollution in the water," Gibbs said.

The platform is about 200 miles west of BP's blown-out well. A company report said the well was drilled in the third quarter of 2008.

Federal authorities have cited Mariner Energy and related entities for 10 accidents in the Gulf of Mexico over the last four years, according to safety records from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement.

The accidents range from platform fires to pollution spills and a blowout, according to accident-investigation reports from the agency formerly known as the Minerals Management Service.

In 2007, welding sparks falling onto an oil storage tank caused a flash fire that slightly burned a contract worker. The Minerals Management Service issued a $35,000 fine.

Mariner Energy Inc. focuses on oil and gas exploration and production in the Gulf. In April, Apache Corp., another independent oil company, announced plans to buy Mariner in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $3.9 billion, including the assumption of about $1.2 billion of Mariner's debt. That deal is pending.

On Friday, BP was expected to begin the process of removing the cap and failed blowout preventer, another step toward completion of a relief well that would put a final seal on the well. The Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 people and setting off a three-month leak that totaled 206 million gallons of oil.


(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

A New Orleans police officer who is a suspect in the Danziger Bridge shooting has won a separate case in which he was accused of choking a man to death following a traffic stop.

A federal jury cleared Anthony Villavaso, along with NOPD officers Victor Gant and David Ogozalek, Thursday afternoon in the wrongful death lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon barred any mention of the bridge shooting unless city attorneys try to show Villavaso has a reputation for "truthfulness or good character."

The civil case centered on Gerald Arthur’s death at police hands. Arthur tried to run away from Villavaso and another officer, David Ogozalek, after they stopped him for running a stop sign on Dec. 14, 2006. When the officers caught up to him, Arthur struck Ogozalek with a handcuff, cutting his head.

The suit claims Villavaso placed him in a chokehold for several minutes while other officers beat him. The defense said Arthur died as a result of his weight, diabetes, and having used cocaine before his run in with police.

Arthur's mother, Sylvia Wells, and his four children filed the suit against the city.

Villavaso has been jailed without bond while he awaits a trial in the Danziger case.

Click Here (fox8news@fox8tv.net) to send us any images you might have of the platform fire.

NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) - Another oil rig exploded and caught fire Thursday off the Louisiana coast, spreading a mile-long oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico west of the site of BP's massive spill. All 13 crew members were rescued.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about 100 feet wide, was spotted near the platform. Firefighting vessels were battling the flames.

The company that owns the rig, Houston-based Mariner Energy, did not know what caused the blast, which was reported by a helicopter flying over the area.

Crew members were found floating in the water, huddled together in survival outfits called "gumby suits."

"These guys had the presence of mind, used their training to get into those gumby suits before they entered the water. It speaks volumes to safety training and the importance of it because, beyond getting off the rig, there's all the hazards of the water such as hypothermia," Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said.

The crew was being flown to a hospital in Houma. Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said one person was injured, but the company said there were no injuries.

Seven Coast Guard helicopters, two airplanes and three cutters were dispatched to the scene.

The platform is in about 340 feet of water and about 100 miles south of Louisiana's Vermilion Bay. It's location is considered shallow water, much less than the approximately 5,000 feet where BP's well spewed oil and gas for three months after the April rig explosion.

Responding to any oil spill in shallow water would be much easier than in deep water, where crews depend on remote-operated vehicles access equipment on the sea floor.

The rig is a fixed platform that was in production at the time of the fire, according to a homeland security operational update obtained by The Associated Press.

The update said the platform was producing 58,800 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day. The platform can store 4,200 gallons of oil.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Mariner Energy officials told him there were seven active production wells on the platform, and they were shut down shortly after the fire broke out.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama was in a national security meeting at the time of the accident.

"We obviously have response assets ready for deployment should we receive reports of pollution in the water," Gibbs said.

The platform is about 200 miles west of BP's blown-out well. A company report said the well was drilled in the third quarter of 2008.

Federal authorities have cited Mariner Energy and related entities for 10 accidents in the Gulf of Mexico over the last four years, according to safety records from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement.

The accidents range from platform fires to pollution spills and a blowout, according to accident-investigation reports from the agency formerly known as the Minerals Management Service.

In 2007, welding sparks falling onto an oil storage tank caused a flash fire that slightly burned a contract worker. The Minerals Management Service issued a $35,000 fine.

Mariner Energy Inc. focuses on oil and gas exploration and production in the Gulf. In April, Apache Corp., another independent oil company, announced plans to buy Mariner in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $3.9 billion, including the assumption of about $1.2 billion of Mariner's debt. That deal is pending.

On Friday, BP was expected to begin the process of removing the cap and failed blowout preventer, another step toward completion of a relief well that would put a final seal on the well. The Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 people and setting off a three-month leak that totaled 206 million gallons of oil.


(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Drew Brees will be watching from the sideline for the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

Vince Young? He may play into the third quarter for the Tennessee Titans.

Welcome to the NFL's final preseason game where timing is everything, and the clock already has started ticking toward the Saints' regular season opener on Sept. 9. That's why New Orleans coach Sean Payton will be protecting his key starters by keeping them off the field Thursday night when the Saints (2-1) wrap up the preseason against the Titans.

"In our case, the very first game being the following Thursday, there's not additional time if you get a player nicked," Payton said. "So we're going to be pretty smart about how we approach it because we play seven days later in a game that means something."

That's exactly what Titans coach Jeff Fisher expects. He went through the same timing a year ago when Tennessee concluded the preseason on a Thursday night and opened the NFL's regular season a week later at Pittsburgh.

"They're going to have 11 on the field, and that's what is important to us and we're getting ready to play hard," Fisher said.

The Titans (1-2) will have two defensive starters making their preseason debut with tackle Tony Brown back from offseason surgery on his right knee and cornerback Cortland Finnegan recovered from a right groin injury that limited him for three weeks. Jason McCourty is likely to start opposite Finnegan, which could be a clue he has
won that starting job.

Fisher has been using the final preseason game as his team's dress rehearsal for the past few years as a way to avoid his starters becoming too rusty in a nearly two-week layoff between the third preseason game and the regular season opener. Some of his starters, like All Pro running back Chris Johnson, likely won't play into the third quarter.

This game is crucial for players still trying to earn roster spots.

Brees won't be playing, but Patrick Ramsey will start and play the first half with Chase Daniel playing the second in the final chance to back up a quarterback who has taken every meaningful snap the past four years. Payton usually keeps only two quarterbacks.

New Orleans running back Ladell Betts also should play, though rookie Chris Ivory may be valuable enough at an injury-depleted position that Payton keeps him on the sideline as well.

Fisher said he plans to play all four of his quarterbacks. Veteran Kerry Collins appears safe as Young's backup despite being scheduled for a $5.5 million salary this season, leaving most of the second half as Chris Simms' last chance to show he deserves to stick around over rookie Rusty Smith.

Even if most of the Saints' starters are sidelined, Fisher insists that won't affect the Titans' evaluation of their own
starters. Young was sacked four times in last week's 15-7 loss at Carolina with the first-team offense shut out of the end zone for the first time this preseason. The Titans managed 50 yards on 25 plays in the first half.

"We're going to play hard, we're going to play a lot of people, we're going to play the starters and we'll continue to play guys who are working to earn a spot on this roster," Fisher said. "We've got a lot of things we need to accomplish special teams wise."

That includes seventh-round pick Marc Mariani, who will be handling kick returns for Tennessee in the first half, and Tennessee rookie Myron Rolle.

The Rhodes scholar from Florida State was the final pick of the sixth round in April, and the safety has been working to learn special teams in the NFL after playing only on the punt block unit in college. He said he takes his mind off the pressure of Saturday's final roster cuts by reading his Bible and trusting in God.

"He's taken care of me for 23 years, and hopefully He will this week. That's the way you have to approach it. If you don't, then you'll drive yourself crazy and won't sleep at night, and you won't perform well when you need to," he said.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)