A large explosion rocked Chevron’s El Segundo refinery in Los Angeles county on Thursday night.
Videos posted on social media show the moment of the initial explosion, followed by massive flames that could be seen for miles.
LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell told KCAL-TV at around 10:30 p.m. that the fire had been contained to one part of the refinery, and that “there is no cause for alarm for El Segundo or the surrounding areas.”
She said that there was no reason for residents to evacuate, but that they were advised to stay inside for the time being, and that air quality in the surrounding area would likely be affected.
What To Know
It is not immediately clear what caused the explosion, which reportedly began at around 9:30 p.m.
Julio Martinez, a spokesman for the El Segundo Police Department, told the New York Times: “We’re trying to figure out what type of fire it is.”
El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel told KCAL-TV that there were no reports of injuries. “We were able to respond to the Chevron fire immediately, our station is about a 0.25 miles away from the gates of Chevron,” he said.
“Obviously, we are very concerned, and there is a lot of investigative work to be done to see what has happened.”
The refinery has its own fire department, and other agencies also responded to the incident.
Both California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that they were monitoring the situation.
Bass said there was no known impact on LAX, while Newsom said that his office was coordinating with local and state agencies to respond to the incident.
Chevron’s El Segundo refinery, which spans approximately 1,000 acres, was built in 1911. It is California’s second-largest oil refinery, according to state records.
El Segundo is capable of refining 290 thousand barrels of crude oil per day, according to Chevron. Its primary products are gasoline and diesel.
The refinery has experienced several fires over the years, including a blaze in November 2022.
What People Are Saying
Witness Mark Rogers told the Los Angeles Times that he was a few miles away in Aviation Park when the explosion happened. “I thought we got nuked or something,” he said.
Another witness Keith Mohr, who lives nearby, told the outlet that he saw “300-foot flames” and wasn’t sure if “a plane crashed or there was an earthquake or both.”
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
