Coast Guard ends search for 2 after oil rig fire

NEW ORLEANS -- The Coast Guard has called off its search for two workers missing after a fire broke out on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Chief Petty Officer Bobby Nash said the search was ended at about 5:25 p.m. CST on Saturday.

The blaze that erupted Friday sent an ominous black plume of smoke into the air reminiscent of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that transformed the oil industry and life along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The fire broke out while workers were using a torch to cut an oil line, severely burning at least four workers.

Officials at Baton Rouge General Medical Center said Saturday that two men remained in critical condition, while two men remained in serious condition.