A release early this afternoon by the U.S. Coast Guard, Hilcorp Alaska and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said a unified command has been established and continues to respond.

There were four personnel onboard; the unified command release said they were evacuated safely by helicopter.

The response is ongoing with a five-mile, no-fly safety zone at 5,000 feet and a two-mile maritime safety zone around the platform.

Capt. Paul Mehler, federal on-scene coordinator and Coast Guard Sector Anchorage commander, said the priority was to ensure the safety of the public and responders by getting the fire under control and monitoring the scene for signs of pollution.

A DEC situation report said the platform is some 18 miles northwest of Kenai. The fire started in the above deck structures; the cause is under investigation.

The state had approved an abandonment plan for the lighthoused Baker Platform at the North Middle Ground Shoal field in early 2012; Hilcorp amended the plan later in the year saying it had decided to reactivate the platform to accommodate gas exploration.

Hilcorp Alaska spokeswoman Lori Nelson told Petroleum News in an email that minimal natural gas production from the platform has been shut-in.

- KRISTEN NELSON