A fire broke out late Thursday at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery in Los Angeles County, one of the largest oil refining facilities on the U.S. West Coast, according to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office.
Authorities confirmed that the flames were contained to a single section of the refinery, though the cause of the blaze remains unknown. The Los Angeles Times reported that investigators have yet to determine what triggered the incident, while CBS News noted that firefighters and police officers responded after initial reports of an explosion.
Governor Newsom’s office announced that it was coordinating with local and state emergency agencies to ensure public safety. So far, no injuries or evacuations have been reported. Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said firefighting crews had successfully confined the flames to one area of the sprawling facility.
In a regulatory filing, Chevron disclosed that emergency flaring had been initiated at the site. The El Segundo refinery, with a rated capacity of 290,000 barrels per day, primarily produces gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The facility also has an extensive storage capacity of 12.5 million barrels across about 150 major tanks, according to the company’s website.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stated that the city’s fire department was on standby to provide additional support if required. She further assured the public that there was “no known impact to LAX at this time,” referring to Los Angeles International Airport, which lies close to the refinery.
Authorities are expected to release further details as the investigation into the fire continues.
Source – My News Ghana
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