ExxonMobil said in a statement early Wednesday afternoon that "no harmful emissions have been detected.". 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If you or a loved one were injured or burned in a plant or refinery fire, contact ourplant and refinery accident attorneysfor a free consultation at 1-888-603-3636 or by Clicking Here. Member-Designated Transportation Projects, Fire erupts at Torrance refinery just hours before protest rally, announced safety rally at the refinery PBF had planned to hold for workers as a counterpoint to the demonstration, Manhattan Beach Office (By Appointment Only). By Nichola Groom TORRANCE, Calif. (Reuters) - An explosion and fire ripped through a gasoline processing unit at an Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, California, near Los Angeles on Wednesday, slightly injuring four workers and shattering windows of surrounding buildings, authorities said. By then, the husband said, theyd been living in the city long enough to know exactly what the sound was. The issues to be discussed include A decision not to use the ExxonMobil emergency siren to alert the community to the explosion and subsequent ash and dust fallout.. 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "Our main concern is for the safety of our employees and our neighbors.". Eight workers were decontaminated at the scene. The investigation of the Torrance explosion by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board revealed that a piece of equipment nearly crashed into a tank holding tens of thousands of pounds of modified hydrofluoric acid a highly toxic chemical used to make high-octane gasoline. Edited by Rachel Barnes. The motion also instructs county departments to review existing health and safety measures related to MHF including emergency precautions in case of an accidental leak. Notably absent from the event was any sign of Torrance elected officials, although police officers in several patrol cars discreetly kept their eye on the peaceful protesters from a distance. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. They have not yet completed their final investigation, and I will be asking the Chemical Safety Board to include todays fire and explosion as part of their investigation.. The Torrance refinery, according to its website, has made several improvements, including a leak-detection system, upgraded water monitors, 24/7 automated, continuously monitored unit cameras and an expanded water mitigation system. An explosion at the ExxonMobil Refinery in Torrance today sent a plume of black smoke in the air and caused ash to cascade down on the area, but there were only two minor injuries. Other than the affected crude unit, the refinery continues to operate, Brien said. The explosion was so severe that it caused residents in the area to experience a shock similar to the effects of a 1.7 magnitude earthquake. Si quieres personalizar tus opciones, haz clic en Gestionar configuracin de privacidad. They heard a loud explosion, kind of like a sonic boom, said Jason Davis, who lives near the complex. The explosion filled surrounding neighborhoods with ash, fiberglass, and glass wool. Another fire? But at least for now, environmentalists and the refineries remain entrenched in their positions. TORRANCE, Calif.- An explosion and fire ripped through a gasoline processing unit at an Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, California, near Los Angeles on Wednesday, slightly injuring four workers and shattering windows of surrounding buildings, authorities said.Investigators were trying to determine the cause of the blast, which occurred shortly before 9 a.m. PST (12 p.m. Thousands of people could have been harmed if the MHF had dispersed beyond the Torrance refinery in 2015, the CSB report said. But the proposed ban on MHF is far from the first cost passed onto consumers: The 2015 explosion, according to the CSB, caused the refinery to run at limited capacity for more than a year and raised gas prices in California costing drivers in the state an estimated $2.4 billion. The blast caused serious property damage to the refinery and scattered catalyst dust up to a mile away from the facility into the nearby community. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The new campaign comes several months after air quality regulators killed a years-long push for stronger regulation of hydrofluoric acid at the two refineries. For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air. Four people were injured in an explosion at an apartment building in Torrance Sunday afternoon, officials said. The refinery has been under constant scrutiny since the explosion as small fires and flare ups have been reported since and raised concern among residents living nearby. TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) A New Jersey-based oil refining company announced Wednesday it is purchasing the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance that was badly damaged in a February explosion, with. The AQMD estimated that replacing the MHF alkylation units with a safer sulfuric acid unit would cost the Torrance refinery about $900 million, and could temporarily impact gasoline supply and cost. Some said they heard one of the workers may have turned on the gas inside one of the apartments before it was completely ready. A smoke advisory was issued for areas near the ExxonMobil refinery due to Wednesday morning's explosion and fire. The machines are responsible for reducing ammonia and particulate emissions in a plant to comply with environmental regulations. There was also minor damage to two adjoining apartments, according to Millea. The 2015 explosion at the Torrance Refinery was bad, but it easily could have been catastrophic, Hahn said in a press release. California workplace regulators fined ExxonMobil more than $500 million for the violations related to the explosion. TORRANCE TODAY is a 15-minute live news broadcast airing Monday. But in the years since the 2015 explosion, residents have continued decrying MHF. Instead, if a leak occurred, a ground-hugging liquid cloud would form, according to a 2018 report from the Torrance refinery defending its use of the chemical. Caltech officials said the explosion created ground shaking that was equivalent to a magnitude-1.7 earthquake. Officials were not aware of their exact conditions, but witnesses said some were seriously hurt. U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu said in a statement Saturday that he plans to ask the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to include Saturdays incident as part of an ongoing investigation into the problems at the trouble-plagued refinery that began two years ago. Refinery officials, though, say MHF was specifically designed to be safer than its non-modified original hydrofluoric acid and has been reviewed by experts and deemed the best catalyst for the refining process. Redondo Beach Local News. Both the PBF and Valero refineries are situated in densely populated areas of the South Bay: About 245,000 people live within three miles of the Torrance refinery and another 153,000 live within that same distance of Valeros refinery, AQMD said. The improvements, though, also came after sustained pressure from the community and watchdog agencies. Fill Out the Form Below for a Free Case Review with our Undefeated Personal Injury Lawyers. At the center of that debate is the modified part of MHF. "Emergency procedures have been activated to address the incident, and employees are working with the appropriate agencies," a statement by the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery said. Torrance fire Capt. With the capacity to refine more than 150,000 barrels of gasoline a day, the . While the unit where the blast occurred was ordered shut down, the rest of the refinery is still in operation. All Rights Reserved. All safety systems at the refinery operated correctly and personnel were safe, police said. Nosotros, Yahoo, somos parte de la familia de marcas de Yahoo. We voluntarily enhanced the Alkylation Units robust, layered safety systems already considered by experts to be amongst the most advanced in the world, Lafayette wrote, by installing additional safety enhancements.. ExxonMobil was fined more than $500 million for workplace violations related to the blast. The battle over a highly toxic chemical used in oil refining recently received a fresh jolt, seven years after the substance became a regional cause celebre in the wake of an explosion that rocked the Torrance Refinery. Refineries are not supposed to have explosions. explosion also launched an 80,000-pound piece of equipment, failure to follow safety guidelines was partly to blame for the blast. in communication and M.S. And so, the battle over MHFs future appears set to linger on with the Board of Supervisors call for a ban the latest volley. Its unacceptable we were put in harms way, said Daphne Wong, who added that she does not believe the official line that Torrance is a safe community. The blast caused serious property damage to the refinery and scattered catalyst dust up to a mile away from the facility into the nearby community. The incident was reported around 1:15 p.m. on the 23500 block of Anza Avenue, just . PUBLISHED: February 18, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. | UPDATED: February 18, 2023 at 8:01 a.m. It's been eight years since a massive explosion at the Torrance Refinery shook the South Bay with the blast. A group of activists on Saturday marked the fifth anniversary of an explosion at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance that injured four workers and prompted continuing concerns about the potential for an even more catastrophic incident and the release of toxic chemicals and fumes into local communities. There was a "large fire explosion" at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery in Southern California on Wednesday morning, according to the Torrance Police Department. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems. Organizers estimated the crowd size at more than 400. And the incident was avoidable, CSB said: Mismanagement and improper safety protocols put in place by then-owner ExxonMobil who sold the refinery to PBF Energy shortly after the incident made the explosion likely. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. It provides 362 jobs around $30 million in wages in Torrance, according to its website. No injuries were reported and there were no evacuations. Cal/OSHA has shut down the fluid catalytic cracker and will only allow operations to resume once it can be exhibited that the unit can operate safely. All the while, officials at those facilities have defended the chemicals use as safe. Residents reported shaking normally associated with earthquakes throughout the South Bay area. Explosion Rocks ExxonMobil Refinery in Torrance, California. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. The cause of the accident was not immediately known, but it was believed to be caused by over pressurization in the plants electrostatic precipitators. A five-story processing unit had burst open, spewing industrial ash over a mile away that some mistook for snow and propelling a 40-ton hunk of equipment into the air. God may not warn us again.. 46,739 visits in the last 30 days. Prior to joining the Press-Telegram, she served as the Daily Breeze's lead city hall reporter. I wish the Torrance City Council had the courage to say that.. In the late 1980s, ExxonMobil and Phillips 66 jointly created modified hydrofluoric acid, which boasts a chemical additive that, when used in high enough concentrations, can prevent the poisonous chemical from dispersing. With the addition of these voluntary safety enhancements and other obligations completed and operating, we have fulfilled our obligation to further protect Refinery personnel and the community, Lafayette said. Across California, CA | News | 15h. The CSB determined that on the day of the incident a slide valve that acted as a barrier failed. Puedes cambiar tus opciones en cualquier momento haciendo clic en el enlace Panel de control de privacidad de nuestros sitios y aplicaciones. The explosion was mostly contained to two of the buildings units, with each sustaining significant damage. Three of them were taken to a nearby hospital, authorities said, after earlier indicating all four had been transported.