Shelter-in-Place Lifted Following Explosion at Tesoro Refinery in Carson

CARSON, CA — A shelter-in-place has been lifted Friday evening after an explosion and fire at the Tesoro Refinery in Carson, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The explosion occurred at around 1 p.m. in the 2200 block of Alameda Street, an LACFD spokesman said. Earlier, the county fire department said one person was transported to an area hospital with unknown injuries, but has now said that no one was injured in the explosion.

A sulfur tank at the Wilmington portion of the refinery ruptured, according to a statement from Tesoro. There was a small fire that occurred at the tank at the time of the breach, but was quickly extinguished, authorities said.

"There is a visible plume over the unit and we are currently conducting air quality monitoring around the site," Tesoro spokeswoman Destin Singleton told Patch in an email." At this time we have not detected any harmful levels of toxins."

All refinery personnel are accounted for and there were no injuries reported, she said.

As a precaution, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department closed Alameda Street between 223rd Street and Sepulveda Boulevard, sheriff Sgt. Joe Ramos said. Four businesses within a quarter mile radius of the refinery were ordered to shelter-in-place. That order was lifted at around 6:20 p.m.

Both the sheriff and county fire departments are on scene at the request of Tesoro. A hazardous materials team was also called to the scene. It's unclear at this time what caused the explosion.

Last month, a contract worker was injured in a fall from an outside platform at the refinery. That worker was able to return to the job the next day, according to Tesoro.

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