Oil platform catches fire in Santa Barbara Channel, 26 workers evacuated

Emergency crews responded Monday morning to a report of a fire on an offshore oil platform in the Santa Barbara Channel.

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Several agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Santa Barbara City Fire Department and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, first set up incident command at the Santa Barbara Harbor at around 7:07 a.m.

A U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson said 26 crew members were evacuated safely and a 1,000-yard safety zone was active around Platform Habitat.

Emergency radio traffic indicated that crews were waiting on the fire to cool down so that an oil employee could board the platform and close a control valve.

Platform Habitat is operated by DCOR LLC, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. It is located roughly 7.8 miles offshore and was first installed in 1981.

The platform primarily produces natural gas, the Los Angeles Times reported, and is the only such platform off the California coast.

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Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, said his office is “closely monitoring” the fire.

“Commercial and recreational vessels in the Santa Barbara Channel should stay alert and follow all guidance from local authorities until the situation is resolved,” Carbajal said.

Additional information was not immediately available.

This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 12:59 PM with the headline “Oil platform catches fire in Santa Barbara Channel, 26 workers evacuated.”

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