BAYOU SORREL - A fire at an oil platform deep in the swamp will continue to burn into Tuesday evening as crews in boats monitor containment boom in the area after an explosion earlier in the day.

Shortly after 9 a.m. a storage tank exploded on the platform in Berry Lake west of Bayou Richard as the platform was being dismantled. Two large storage tanks are on fire, the Coast Guard said in a briefing about the situation late Tuesday afternoon.

WBRZ.com was first to report details of the fire earlier in the day. Then, only one of the two tanks were burning.

The Coast Guard said it believes about 33,000 gallons of crude oil could have been in the storage tanks when the fire ignited. Response crews have deployed approximately 300 yards of containment boom across the canal entrance nearest the platform.

The fire will be allowed to burn itself out.

A LOT of oil needs to burn before anything can be done. More details coming up live at noon on @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/8ckm7ZdlDU

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Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Iberville Sheriff’s Office and Iberville Fire Department responded to the fire and maintain a presence, the Coast Guard said. Emergency responders had to launch boats at Jack Miller's Landing to get to the fire.

Two people were aboard the platform when the tank ignited and burst into flames, both were able to escape without injury.

There will be an investigation once the fire is extinguished.

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