Flames light up the night sky over El Segundo
A huge blaze broke out late Thursday night at the Chevron oil refinery in El Segundo, California, with flames and thick smoke billowing into the air that could be seen for miles. The blaze began around 9:35 p.m., when emergency units went to the plant following calls reporting smoke and an explosion.
Residents across the South Bay witnessed the orange glow and billows of smoke spilling over the city skyline. Others compared the fire from the explosion to a “mushroom cloud.”
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Witnesses recall explosion and fire
A few witnesses were shocked by the sudden fire. Miguel Morales, a resident, told reporters, “I just looked up and the sky was orange, and I was just wondering what was happening. Then the whole explosion happened—it was like this whole mushroom cloud of fire. It just started popping out.”
The fire quickly captured everyone’s attention on social media as videos showed massive flames light up the dark night sky.
Firefighters rush to extinguish the flames
El Segundo Fire Department and surrounding fire units had responded within minutes. Fire Division Chief Casey Snow verified that gasoline and diesel fuel ignited the fire at the refinery.
Despite the size of the fire, Snow reported that the fire was contained on the refinery site and there was no threat to nearby neighborhoods. “It’s isolated on the Chevron refinery, so there is no threat to the surrounding cities or individuals in El Segundo or Manhattan Beach,” he explained.
Firefighters fought to keep equipment near the fire cool and to reduce pressure on damaged systems as they worked to prevent the fire from spreading.
A “waiting game” for responding crews
Chief Snow emphasized that some of the materials burning at the refinery, such as residual gasoline and diesel fuel, would have to burn off on their own. “It’s really just a waiting game at this point because there’s residual gasoline and diesel that is going to burn, and there’s not much we can do to stop it. We’re just cooling everything around it and attempting to depressurize it. Eventually, that gasoline will burn out, and we’ll be in good shape,” he said.
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This process is routine in factory blazes with hazardous fuels because trying to extinguish them too rapidly at times winds up making the issue worse.
No injuries reported; all employees are safe
In a pleasant surprise, Chevron has confirmed that all employees who work at the refinery are safe. “All refinery staff and contractors have been accounted for and there are no injuries,” said Chevron spokesperson Allison Cook.
She also assured the public that evacuation orders were not made and that the air monitoring system of the facility did not register any toxic releases. “No exceedances have been detected by the facility’s fence line monitoring system,” Cook added further.
Significance of the Chevron El Segundo refinery
The El Segundo Chevron refinery is the West Coast’s largest and primary fuel supplier for the region. The giant complex takes up some two square miles and converts crude oil into fuel products such as gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel.
The plant also employs more than 1,000 Chevron workers as well as an additional 1,000 daily contractors who are on-site. Because of its scale and output, any shutdown at the plant will affect fuel supplies in Southern California.
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No one evacuated, but concerns remain
Although no evacuation orders were given, residents who live in nearby cities were alarmed after seeing the fire. Emergency officials said they were monitoring air quality and the stability of the refinery through the night.
Meanwhile, authorities maintained there is no immediate danger to nearby communities, although investigations will continue into what caused the fire.
What’s next?
The authorities will provide more updates when the fire burns out and they inspect the area safely. The investigators then take up looking into what caused the fire and whether more safety measures need to be installed.
For El Segundo and the rest of Los Angeles, the accident serves as a reminder to everyone about the risk involved in having such large fuel facilities so close to densely populated communities.
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