Tom Butt
 
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  California Refinery Explosion: Torrance Residents Shelter in Place
February 18, 2015
 
 

Refinery explosion injures 4; shaking equivalent to 1.7 earthquake
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-explosion-exxon-torrance-refinery-20150218-story.html

Description: Approximate location of refinery explosion
By VERONICA ROCHA AND RUBEN VIVEScontact the reportersLarge explosion reported at @exxonmobil refinery in Torrance; shelter-in-place lifted
Four workers suffered minor injuries after a large explosion Wednesday morning at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, according to an Exxon spokesman.
The explosion was the equivalent of a magnitude 1.7 earthquake, according to Caltech.
Residents in the area were asked by police to remain indoors after the explosion. That shelter-in-place order has been lifted, but a smoke advisory was issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
About 47 firefighters responded after the explosion about 8:50 a.m. The blast was followed by a ground fire that was quickly extinguished, a Torrance fire captain said.
Description: Refinery explosion
When firefighters arrived at the refinery, Capt. Steve Deuel said, they found flames likely fueled by gasoline.
Repairs will be needed, he added, as the explosion and fire damaged a portion of the refinery. But the facility was operational during the incident, and it continues to run.
“We can’t just shut a refinery down,” he said, saying that would be a lengthy process.
Exxon Mobil spokesman Todd Spitler said when the incident occurred refinery workers activated emergency procedures.
"Our main concern is for the safety of our employees and our neighbors," he said.
Just after 11 a.m., Torrance police and Exxon Mobil officials said all employees were accounted for.
Spliter said four contractors were taken to Long Beach Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.
“Refinery personnel, working with the Torrance Fire Department, are conducting air monitoring at the refinery fence line and in the local community,” he said. “These instruments are designed to detect air emissions that may be harmful."
No harmful emissions were detected, Spitler said. But the AQMD, which was at the refinery assessing air quality, issued the smoke advisory.
Description: Cars covered in ash following Torrance refinery explosion

Refineries
'Large fire explosion' at Exxon Mobil refinery

 

A hazardous materials team was also at the scene.
Residents took to Twitter on Wednesday morning, reporting that there had been an explosion and that ash was falling from the sky.
Caltech seismologist Egill Hauksson said the Torrance explosion registered on a nearby seismometer operated by the Caltech/USGS Southern California Seismic Network. The shaking was equivalent to a magnitude 1.7 quake and was only felt in the immediate vicinity of the explosion. 
Gilbert Griego, 70, said he was watching television at home with his daughter-in-law and grandson when the house shook. He has lived near the refinery for about 65 years.
"My daughter-in-law thought it was an earthquake," he said. "I didn't think it was because I didn't feel the ground move."
Looking at the flames from his home, which sits near the intersection of Crenshaw and Del Amo boulevards, he said this incident wasn't too bad.
He recalled an 1979 oil tank fire at the Mobil Oil facility that sits behind his house. He said that disaster forced the evacuation of their neighborhood.
Deuel said early Wednesday that the incident could be a result of a petroleum product leak.
Description: South Bay oil refineries: A history of destructive explosions
South Bay oil refineries: A history of destructive explosions
A white foam insulation product was sent into the sky and landed in nearby streets, he said. He urged residents to call a 24-hour hotline, at (310) 505-3158, if they have any concerns about the product.
Students and staff at 14 schools in the area, including seven elementary schools, were sheltering in place, said Tammy Khan, a district spokeswoman. Outdoor activities were limited for students in schools close to the refinery on the north and west sides of the district.
Torrance Mayor Patrick Furey told KNBC-TV that the material in the air was not caustic: "There's not much wind today, so it's not dissipating that quickly," he said.
The refinery is at 3700 W. 190th St. in Torrance. It covers 750 acres and employs about 650 employees and 550 contractors. The refinery processes an average of 155,000 barrels of crude oil per day and produces 1.8 billion gallons of gasoline a year.
State Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Manhattan Beach), whose district includes the South Bay, said on Facebook that his office had contacted Exxon Mobil and emergency services "to learn what we can and to be of service as needed in the South Bay.”
“Please keep the employees and neighbors of the facility in your thoughts and prayers,” Hadley said.
For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA and @LATVives 
Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
UPDATE
2:26 p.m.: This post has been updated with information from Caltech.
12:05 p.m.: This post has been updated with new details, including the lifting of the shelter-in-place order.
This post was originally published at 10:54 a.m.

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