Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Copyright 2006 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company
A fire erupted Sunday about 6:30 a.m. at a Venice fuel depot that serves tugboats, but it was quickly contained, said Petty Officer Dominic Wasson, a spokesman for the Coast Guard office in Venice.
The fire in the 5,000-gallon tanks was extinguished in about 1½ hours, according to Col. Charles Guey of the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Because of its proximity to the fire, the Coast Guard evacuated its Venice facility, Petty Officer Nyx Cangemi said. “The tanks are right next to the Coast Guard station,” he said.
Helicopters dumped foam on the tanks to put out the blaze, and a Coast Guard vessel prevented boats in Tiger Pass from approaching the fire, officials said.
The tanks belonged to John Stone Oil, Guey said. He did not know what started the fire.
No one was injured, Guey said.