Breakdown of Hydrogen Plant Leads to Flaring at Torrance Refinery [UPDATE]

Torrance, CA — An unplanned flaring event sent emergency personnel to the Torrance Refining Company on Monday, police said.

The flaring was a result of one of the refinery's hydrogen plants breaking down, Torrance Refining Company spokeswoman Gesuina Paras told Patch.

"In addition, we subsequently notified the California Office of Emergency Services at approximately 2:05 p.m. that we believe the refinery may have exceeded the reportable quantity of 500 lbs. for sulfur dioxide," she said.

The flaring event started at around 1 p.m., Torrance Fire Department Battalion Chief Bob Millea said.

The department did some air monitoring and it showed no unusual readings and no off-site impact, he said.

"As far as duration, (the refinery) was not sure how long it's going to be, but they did say it was going to be intermittent," Millea said.

Paras said the flarings were "necessary in order to make the equipment safe for personnel to work on it."

Refineries typical flare up to burn off excess built up gas and is normal during the start up process or scheduled maintenance. An unplanned flaring event could signal equipment breaking, power outage or other emergencies beyond the refinery's control.

The Torrance Refining Company, formerly the ExxonMobil Refinery, had recently restarted after closing down for more than a year following an explosion that caused extensive damage to the facility, injured four people and led to spikes in Southern California gas prices.

Last month, a 300-ton crane collapsed at the plant, injuring three workers.