The city of El Segundo said that there was a fire at the Chevron refinery but that there was no public threat or evacuation orders. Shelter-in-place orders were in effect for portions of north Manhattan Beach until 2 am.
Videos taken when the explosion occurred around 9:30 pm showed a massive fireball erupt amid a loud, extended roar. But over the next hour, the blaze died down considerably and the skies largely cleared while bright, strong flames continued to burn near the southern portion of Chevron’s plant, Los Angeles Times reported.
Shortly before 10:30 pm, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell told KCAL-TV that the fire had been largely contained. She said there were no immediate reports of injury and “no cause for alarm for the surrounding area.” She noted that officials would be monitoring air quality conditions and advised residents in the immediate area to remain indoors if possible.
El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel told KCAL that the fire never extended beyond the refinery grounds and that all personnel had been accounted for. The cause of the fire remained unclear, he added.
The plumes of smoke were visible in the El Segundo and South Bay areas, and fire personnel were on scene shooting streams of water at the fire. The refinery has its own fire department and other regional agencies assisted in the response.
Refinery fires are part of life in the South Bay, which is home to several major oil production facilities.
In 2022, it took firefighters two hours to put out a fire at the El Segundo facility. In 2020, a fire at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Carson sent flames at least 100 feet into the air and sparked hours of concern. But the fire was eventually put under control and it did little major damage to refinery operations.