Chevron Refinery Fire Near Los Angeles Extinguished
Blaze Was Isolated, and There Were No Injuries; Section Shuttered Where Fire Started Makes Distillates, Including Diesel
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Chevron Corp.’s El Segundo refinery in Los Angeles County has extinguished a fire that broke out the night of Oct. 2 and shut multiple units.
Firefighters responded after reports of an explosion at the El Segundo plant, south of Los Angeles airport, at about 9:30 p.m. local time. The fire has been extinguished, according to an Oct. 3 company statement.
“The fire originated at a process unit at the southeast corner of the refinery,” said Becky Robinson, a spokesperson for the city of El Segundo.
The blaze was isolated, and there were no injuries, a representative for Chevron said in a statement. All refinery personnel and contractors have been accounted for, the spokesperson said.
Units shut include the 60,000 barrel-a-day catalytic reformer, the 45,000 barrel-a-day hydrocracker, the 73,000 barrel-a-day fluid catalytic cracker and two hydrogen plants, according to energy research firm Wood Mackenzie.
DANGEROUS INFERNO — Massive flames and thick smoke lit up the night sky over Los Angeles after a fire broke out at a Chevron refinery.
No injuries were reported. — Fox News (@FoxNews)
The fire appears to have begun at the convection section of a furnace that is part of the Hydrocracker/Isomax complex, said Randy Hurburun, head of refining at energy consultancyEnergy Aspects. That complex makes distillates, including diesel and jet fuel.
The entire hydrocracker section will likely have to be shut for assessment and repair, and crude rates will probably be slowed to limit feedstock output that would have gone to the hydrocracker, Hurburun said.
Chevron said there were no evacuations for nearby residents and emissions from the refinery haven’t exceeded permitted levels, based on the facility’s monitoring system.
The refinery fire is the latest threat to fuel supplies in California, which is already bracing for shortfalls.
This week, Phillips 66 said its Los Angeles plant will refine its final barrel of crude oil around Oct. 16 as the facility — one of California’s few remaining refineries — moves to permanently shutter operations by the end of the year.
I’ve been briefed on the fire in El Segundo outside of our city limits and I’ve also spoken with Supervisor .
LAFD stands at the ready to assist with any mutual aid request. There is no known impact to LAX at this time.
We will continue to monitor this situation. — Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA)
It’s the latest in a wave of refinery closures in California that has tightened an isolated fuel market. The looming crunch led to recent attempts by state officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom, to shore up supply in a state that regularly sees the highest gasoline prices in the nation.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said in athat she had been briefed on the fire outside of the city limits, adding that there was no impact on the airport.
According to the company website, the El Segundo refinery, built in 1911, supplies 20% of all motor vehicle fuels and 40% of the jet fuel consumed in Southern California. It has aof about 290,000 barrels a day.
Written by Barbara Powell, Devika Krishna Kumar and Nathan Risser
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