A natural gas well blowout caused a Gulf of Mexico gas-drilling rig to catch fire Tuesday night and is now starting to collapse off the coast of Louisiana.
The rig is located about 55 miles off the coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana. The natural gas started leaking out of the well Tuesday morning, so the crew of 44 workers was immediately evacuated on lifeboats.
Tuesday night, the rig eventually caught fire and is starting to collapse in on itself. According to NBC News , no one was on board when the fire started and there have been no injuries.
Three firefighting ships are currently working to stop the blaze. Wall Street Journal reports that the well is owned by Walter Oil & Gas, who claim to have a blowout-preventer equipped. The company says they do not know why the safety equipment failed and are investigating the incident further.
Wild Well Control, a company that focuses on preventing and controlling rig fires, are helping inform the Coast Guard and firefighting ships on the best way to fight the fire.