deep water drilling reality with piper alpha drilling platform. This platform starting drilling in 1976.
<from the above link>
There is controversy about whether there was sufficient time for more effective emergency evacuation. People were still getting off the platform several hours after the initial fires and explosions. The proximal problem was that most of the personnel who had the authority to order evacuation had been killed when the first explosion destroyed the control room. This was a consequence of design of the platform, including the absence of blast walls. Another contributing factor was that a nearby platform (the Tartan) continued to pump gas into the heart of the fire until its pipeline ruptured in the heat. The operations crew on the Tartan did not have authority to shut off production even though they could see that Piper Alpha was burning.
The nearby support vessel Lowland Cavalier reported the initial explosion just before 22:00, and the second explosion occurred just twenty two minutes later. By the time civil and military rescue helicopters reached the scene, flames over one hundred metres in height and visible as far as one hundred km (120 km from the Maersk Highlander) away prevented safe approach. Tharos, a specialist firefighting vessel, was able to approach the platform, but could not prevent its destruction.
Two crewmen from the Lowland Cavalier were killed when an explosion on the platform destroyed their "Fast Rescue Craft", which had recovered several survivors from the water. Tharos could not pump sufficient water to approach the burning platform until after the rupture of the Tartan pipeline, about two hours after the start of the disaster. Only once Tartan stopped pumping gas into the fire could Tharos come alongside. Tharos recovered no one that night.
The fire was eventually put out by a team led by famed firefighter Red Adair in which he claims he had to battle 80 mph winds and 70-foot waves.
<end of snip>
Before fire
After fire
I was actually worked Occidental Petroleum at the time. It was a very sad feeling that day.