California oil spill in Pacific extends for miles, expected to hit beaches: reports
About 3,000 barrels of crude oil was estimated to have spilled from Platform Elly, about three miles off the California coast
A large oil spill in the Pacific off the coast of California stretched for miles Saturday and was expected to reach some beaches in Southern California, according to reports.
About 3,000 barrels of crude oil was estimated to have spilled from Platform Elly, KCBS-TV of Los Angeles reported. The offshore rig is operated by Beta Offshore, a Long Beach, California-based unit of Houston-based Amplify Energy Corp., according to the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
The cause of the spill wasn’t immediately known.
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In Huntington Beach, Orange County, south of Los Angeles, city officials on Saturday night said they closed access to ocean waters from the Santa Ana River jetty to the city pier because of the spill, the Orange County Register reported.
At a news conference Saturday night, Huntington Beach officials advised residents to stay out of the water as crews respond to the spill, KCBS reported.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed on social media that cleanup contractors were being mobilized. The state’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) also was involved in the efforts.
In Newport Beach, officials were expecting the slick to reach the shore late Saturday between Balboa Pier and the Corona del Mar Main Beach, according to the newspaper.
Some oil was also believed to have reached Talbert Marsh, an ecological reserve in the area, KCBS reported.
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Earlier in the day, U.S. Coast Guard officials said personnel were responding to an oil slick about 11 miles long off Huntington Beach, the Register reported.