A significant fire broke out at a Chevron oil refinery located near Los Angeles on Thursday night, prompting residents to shelter in place following what is believed to be an explosion.
Residents reported feeling the blast from Chevron’s refinery in El Segundo, California, at approximately 9:30 p.m., as detailed by the Los Angeles Times.
Mark Rogers expressed his shock to the outlet, stating, “I thought we got nuked or something,” adding that his adult soccer league match in nearby Redondo Beach was canceled shortly after due to the heavy smoke emanating from the fire, which was about 6 miles away.
On social media, footage and images showed massive fireballs shooting into the night sky over Southern California.
Kevin Mohr, witnessing the events from Manhattan Beach, remarked, “This was 300-foot flames. I didn’t know if a plane crashed or there was an earthquake or both.”
Following multiple reports of the explosion, officers and firefighters rushed to the Chevron refinery, as confirmed by the El Segundo Police Department and reported by KCAL News.
In response to the blaze, fire officials in Manhattan Beach issued a shelter-in-place order for three hours, advising residents to close their windows and keep “all people and pets indoors.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, representing El Segundo, stated that the fire was contained to one section of the refinery.
“It has been contained and there is no cause for alarm for El Segundo or the neighboring areas,” Mitchell communicated to the media.
The extensive El Segundo facility operated by Chevron spans 1,000 acres and has its own fire department engaged in battling the flames, alongside support from the El Segundo Fire Department, as reported by KCAL News.
“We were able to respond immediately with Chevron fire; our station is about a quarter mile from the gates of Chevron,” stated El Segundo Mayor Christ Pimentel. “We are obviously very concerned, and there is a significant amount of investigative work to be done to understand the situation.”
Situated between two residential neighborhoods along the Pacific coast, the refinery complex required officials to closely monitor air quality conditions. Residents were advised by Mitchell to keep their windows and doors shut.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass noted on X that the LA Fire Department was on standby to support local first responders.
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Operations at LAX, located 4 miles south of the refinery, were not affected by the incident, officials informed KCAL News.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the unfolding situation and remains in contact with local authorities.
“Our office is coordinating in real-time with local and state agencies to safeguard the surrounding community and ensure public safety,” according to Newsom’s press office on X.
The El Segundo refinery opened its doors in 1911 under the Standard Oil Company of California and was rebranded to Chevron Corporation in 1984.
With a rated capacity of 290,000 barrels per day, the refinery primarily produces gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel. Its total storage capability is 12.5 million barrels distributed across around 150 major tanks, according to Chevron’s website.
The refinery briefly suspended operations in May, resuming a week later.
Historically, the facility has also been the site of previous fires, including an incident in 2017.
A fire sparked by a pump failure at the refinery late on the evening of October 17, 2017, was quickly extinguished by firefighters, reported CBS News.
With contributions from Post wires
