A massive fire erupted at a Chevron oil refinery that’s about three miles south of Los Angeles International Airport in El Segundo, California Thursday night just after 9:30 p.m. The blaze was so bright and powerful that it lit up the night sky, and flames were visible from miles away. The city of El Segundo closed down nearby roads, and urged nearby residents to stay indoors and shut their windows. That shelter in place order was lifted at around 1 a.m. Friday morning, and the blaze is now fully contained, but not extinguished.
The El Segundo refinery is Chevron’s second-largest facility in the country, and it’s one of the largest refineries in the West. It supplies a fifth of all motor vehicle fuels and 40% of all jet fuel consumed in Southern California, and according to Reuters, the fire erupted in the jet fuel production unit. Fortunately no injuries or deaths were reported as a result of the explosion and fire, and a Chevron spokesperson told Reuters that all workers at the refinery were accounted for.
The fire is contained, but not extinguished.
Reuters said, “The fire broke out in the refinery’s Isomax 7 unit, which converts mid-distillate fuel oil into jet fuel, two sources said.
The reformer and the fluid catalytic cracker were shut, losing over 100,000-bpd gasoline output, a trader said citing Wood Mackenzie.
On the West Coast, traders said the impact to gasoline prices was muted as of Friday morning as market participants were still assessing the extent of damage to the refinery.”
As of 8:00 a.m. Friday morning, the fire was still burning, but fire crews had the blaze completely contained, according to Alert South Bay. This refinery was opened over 100 years ago in 1911, and it has experienced several fires and other disasters over the past several years.
I’ve been infatuated with videos published by the United States Chemical Safety Board (USCSB) that document significant chemical disasters, and there’s an entire playlist on YouTube dedicated to oil refinery safety. These videos explore the events leading up to, during, and after dangerous chemical disasters, as well as the known safety practices that should have been in place to prevent them. There are numerous disasters involving the fluid catalytic cracker unit which handles highly volatile and flammable hydrocarbons that can easily ignite when mixed with air, so I’m eager to learn more about the nature of this particular catastrophe. I’m not eager to learn how it will affect the price of gas in Southern California, but Reuters says California could draw fuel imports from refiners in South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.
