Photo credit: David McKnew/Getty Images via NBC News
By Danielle Cookish
It is being reported that a pipeline has burst, sending approximately 21,000 gallons of oil into the sea along Refugio State Beach off the coast of Santa Barbara County.
Photo credit: Paul Wellman
Emergency officials responded to reports of a ruptured pipeline around noon Tuesday which had already caused a tremendous leak.
The leak was stopped by 3 p.m., but by 3:45 p.m., a four-mile-long slick of oil had been carved into the ocean in Goleta. The slick extended approximately 50 yards into water.
Officials told press the pipeline that suffered the rupture is operated by Plains All America Pipeline and runs along the coast near Highway 101.
An investigation into the cause of the leak as well as cleanup effort coordination has begun by federal, state, and local authorities.
It is not currently known exactly what type of oil had been flowing through the pipeline at the time of the rupture. While the amount of oil leaked remains an estimation, state officials said it could take several days to calculate an exact figure.
In response to the spill, Refugio State Beach was closed and an oil spill warning was posted at El Capitan State Beach nearby.
Exxon Mobil company spokesman Richard Keil told press that staff has been deployed from nearby operations to offer assistance in cleanup.
The spill occurred along the same stretch of coastline as a massive 1969 spill that, at the time, was the largest in US history and is cited as the driving force behind several environmental protection movements.
This is a developing story. Check out more from NBC News.