South Bay Chevron Refinery Fire: Air Quality Update, Investigation Underway

UPDATE 4:20 p.m. Friday: Chevron provided an update on the fire at its El Segundo refinery.

"The incident took place at a processing unit located near the southeast corner of the facility," Ross Allen, adviser at Chevron, USA Corporate Affairs, said in an emailed statement. "Following Chevron's active response along with support from the cities of El Segundo and Manhattan Beach emergency services, the fire is now out. As a result, Chevron has launched an internal investigation to determine the cause.

"Throughout the night, Chevron's emergency response team has been actively managing the situation with a primary focus on ensuring the safety of employees, responders and the community. All personnel and contractors have been accounted for, and no injuries have been reported. As a precautionary measure, Chevron's Health Safety and Environmental team has been conducting mobile air monitoring in the community."

Allen said the company "is actively working with local, state and federal agencies, including CalOSHA, CALOSPR and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, who were notified and are monitoring the incident."

Reuters reported that the fire was confined to a jet fuel production unit at the refiner.

"The fire broke out in the refinery's Isomax 7 unit, which converts mid-distillate fuel oil into jet fuel, two sources told the news agency. "The reformer and the fluid catalytic cracker were shut, losing more than 100,000- barrels per day gasoline output," a trader said, citing Wood Mackenzie.

From earlier Friday:

A massive fire that broke out at the Chevron Refinery in El Segundo has been contained, city officials said.

Fire crews were still working to put out the flames on Friday morning, but there is no threat to the public, El Segundo city officials said in a statement.

"We conduct joint training and safety drills with Chevron and with that preparation and collaboration, we are ready for incidents like this," El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel said in a statement Friday morning. "We're grateful that this situation was managed quickly, and the safety of the community is our highest priority."

It's unclear what started the blaze, but early news reports suggested something at the refinery exploded.

The fire broke out just after 9:30 p.m. at a process unit in the southeast corner of the refinery, officials said.

Workers at the oil processing plant have all been accounted for, a Chevron spokesperson said, adding that nobody was injured.

No evacuation orders were issued in El Segundo or nearby cities. It did, however, prompt a shelter-in-place order at nearby Manhattan Beach, with city officials asking residents to stay indoors.

The South Coast Air Quality Management has been monitoring the area throughout the night to check for any issues, Manhattan Beach officials said Friday. The air quality is currently "satisfactory" in El Segundo and the South Bay, posing little or no risk to people.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote on social media that she has been briefed on the fire and spoken with Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, whose Second District includes El Segundo.

The Los Angeles Fire Department "stands at the ready to assist with any mutual aid request," Bass wrote, adding "there is no known impact to" Los Angeles International Airport.

Gov. Gavin Newsom "has been briefed on the incident," according to a statement from his office, which "is coordinating in real time with local and state agencies to protect the surrounding community and ensure public safety."

The refinery is the "largest producing oil refinery on the West Coast, processing more than 276,000 barrels of crude per day," according to its website.

City News Service contributed to this report.