Oil platform burns in North Sea

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Less than three hours after it began, a fire on a North Sea oil platform was extinguished and no one was hurt, Lund in Petroleum said Sunday.

The Swedish independent oil and gas exploration and production company said in a news release that 116 personnel deemed non-essential were taken Sunday morning from the Thistle Alpha platform, 325 miles north-northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland, to other platforms a few miles away.

"All personnel are safe and well," the company said.

Fifty-three of the 116 were returning Sunday night to the Thistle Alpha platform; the remaining 63 were to remain overnight on a nearby platform and return Monday, the Swedish independent oil and gas exploration and production company said.

Of the total 159 people who were on the platform when the fire was reported at 8 a.m. in the turbine module, 43 remained there throughout the blaze, which was confirmed extinguished at 10:45 a.m.

Seven Norwegian and British Coast Guard and Royal Air Force helicopters and aircraft from neighboring platforms were used in the evacuation.

"Safety systems and the emergency response team worked well," the company said. "A full investigation is being conducted into the incident. Production has been shut down." E-mail to a friend