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.

Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, said his office was “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.

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The fire onboard the Platform Habit was contained by 1:32 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard Southwest District posted on X.

A 1,000-yard safety zone was still in effect Monday afternoon, but some personnel were starting to come onboard to complete safety work, the agency said.

After the fire was extinguished, Carbajal sent out a news release thanking the various agencies who helped with the effort while warning about the dangers from offshore oil.

“While we await a full investigation into the cause of the fire and any potential environmental impacts, today’s incident serves as a sobering reminder of the inherent risks that offshore drilling poses to our coast,” he said. “Our community shouldn’t have to gamble with our environment, economy, and public health just to pad the pockets of Big Oil. I will continue to fight any plans to expand offshore drilling in our region, and advocate for alternative energy sources like wind and solar.”

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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