Torrance officials said there was no chemical release and a citywide shelter-in-place order is not necessary, but those near the site should keep windows closed. But the consequences, according to federal investigators, could have been far worse: The explosion, investigators wrote in a report two years later, nearly released tons of modified hydrofluoric acid, potentially putting thousands in the South Bay at risk. And Torrance receives about $7.5 million annually in utility user taxes from the refinerys operation. The fire was reported to the South Coast Air Quality Management District and California Office of Emergency Services, police said. The fire, possibly triggered by an explosion that has not yet been confirmed, was reported at 6 a.m. Saturday in the plants crude oil unit, said Torrance Assistant Fire Chief Steve Treskes. Flares from the stack, part of a safety relief valve system, are part of normal operations that occasionally produce a rumbling sound, like distant thunder, caused by turbulent mixing of vapors. Electrostatic precipitators are large machines that stand12 stories high and weigh more than 1,000 tons. 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. For a breakdown of the fees and expenses associated with the verdicts and settlements listed on our site, please visit our Results page. The proposal had plenty of support: Reps. Nanette Barragan, Ted Lieu and Maxine Waters wrote letters urging the AQMD to pass the rule and phase MHF out of Southern California. 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 . The incident caused the refinery to be run at limited capacity for over a year, raising gas prices in California and costing drivers in the state an estimated $2.4 billion. The explosion sent ash raining down on vehicles parked near the sprawling 750-acre site and caused what one worker described as intense shaking. Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Another fire?
ExxonMobil Refinery Explosion Injures Two, Rains Ash Upon - Patch 6 Min Read. The large turnout surprised even the diverse group of participants unaccustomed to seeing such political activism in a conservative community. No injuries were reported and there were no evacuations. Chairperson Sutherland said, Adoption of and adherence to a robust safety management process would have prevented these other incidents. After protests and intensified public pressure from such activists as the Heises mounted in 2017, the AQMDs Proposed Rule 1410 became a key focus of the agencys Governing Board. A blast was reported at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California. Im absolutely appalled, said Torrance teacher Julie Stoll, referring to the lack of support from Torrance officials. All rights reserved. All rights reserved, Los Angeles County Holds Stable COVID-19 Hospitalization Rate, Tax Deadlines Extended to October for Most Californians Due to Storms, Check Your Pockets: These Coins Can Be Worth Up To $24,000, Glendale Neighborhood Frustrated After an Illegal Hostel Moves In, Road Rage Incident Kicks Off Pursuit, Carjacking, and Weapon Fired Out Window in Wild Chase, NASA Images Show Southern California Mountains Before and After Winter Storm. Since the February 2015 explosion, the refinery has experienced multiple incidents. There was a "large fire explosion" at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery in Southern California on Wednesday morning, according to the Torrance Police Department. Many in the neighborhood reported being startled by a large blast. We need to ban MHF as soon as possible. The motion the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed in mid-February asks Gov. Chairperson Sutherland said, There are valuable lessons to be learned and applied at this refinery, and to all refineries in the U.S. Keeping our refineries operating safely is critical to the well-being of the employees and surrounding communities, as well as to the economy.. in communication and M.S. More Stories Drone helps. Numerous nearby residents complained about the air quality following the blast. There, too, the Torrance refinery has disagreed. TORRANCE TODAY is a 15-minute live news broadcast airing Monday. TORRANCE, Calif. -- An explosion rocked an Exxon Mobil refinery on Wednesday morning, triggering a huge smokestack flare, raining down ash and leaving four with minor injuries, company and. Three of them were taken to a nearby hospital, authorities said, after earlier indicating all four had been transported. When released, the chemical can form a deadly, ground-hugging cloud that, in the event of a major leak, could have caused serious injury or death to many community members, according to the agency.
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. CSB Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland said, This explosion and near miss should not have happened, and likely would not have happened, had a more robust process safety management system been in place. First published on April 8, 2018 / 2:50 PM. Those improvements were completed in 2021 and are now in service, Lafayette said. He said the blast happened in a processing facility and the material involved was gasoline. The CSB determined that on the day of the incident a slide valve that acted as a barrier failed. Across California, CA | News | 15h. "Our main concern is for the safety of our employees and our neighbors.". The explosion was mostly contained to two of the buildings units, with each sustaining significant damage. 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. Feb . Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. 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. Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, ICE detainees allege retaliation for speaking about medical conditions at Otay Mesa center, Downtown L.A stabbing sends six to hospital; suspect arrested, San Diego Roman Catholic diocese facing yet another lawsuit from its insurance company, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Los Angeles is suddenly awash in waterfalls. This is a breaking news story. 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. Community members who may have been impacted by the explosion can call the ExxonMobil claims hotline at 844-631-2539. That update was completed last year as well. Overturned gas tanker explodes, killing 1 person, Texas mom in custody after 5 of her kids were stabbed, leaving 3 dead, Ja Morant says he'll get help after video shows apparent gun. North Torrance resident Daphne Wong, her husband, Eng, and their three children, ages 5 to 9, all walked to the refinery together despite the rain. Puedes cambiar tus opciones en cualquier momento haciendo clic en el enlace Panel de control de privacidad de nuestros sitios y aplicaciones. Some community members do not believe that the company did not enough to respond to the emergency. The explosion, the report said, launched a 40-ton piece of debris that nearly struck tanks carrying tens of thousands of pounds of MHF. May 3, 2017, Torrance, CA, -- Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released its final report into the February 18, 2015, explosion at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California. Bontas office said it hadnt received a letter from the county. A smoke advisory was issued for areas near the ExxonMobil refinery due to Wednesday morning's explosion and fire. Valero, owner of the Wilmington refinery, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The cause of the explosion was not known. 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. Residents touted the move, introduced by Supervisor Janice Hahn and timed to the anniversary, while PBF, in a statement, criticized the county boards vote. The Torrance refinery, however, also contributes significantly to the citys economy. The 2015 explosion at the Torrance Refinery was bad, but it easily could have been catastrophic, Hahn said in a press release. The Torrance Fire Department responded to an explosion at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery on Feb. 18, 2015. 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. Of the injured, two were said to have sustained significant injuries. 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 910 | Washington, DC 20006. For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air. People, Donna Heise said, are becoming more aware if nothing else over the last seven years.. April 8, 2018 / 2:50 PM It provides 362 jobs around $30 million in wages in Torrance, according to its website. The CSBs report concludes that the unit was operating without proper procedures., MHF was the subject of a thorough technology review by a court-appointed Safety Advisor with input from the City of Torrance, Gesuina Lafayette, PBFs community relations advisor said in a recent email. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The AQMD scrapped the potential ban in 2019 instead accepting proffers from both refineries that promised to make safety enhancements to their existing MHF units. Having affordable fuel that is readily available is a vital part of the California economy..
TORRANCE TODAY - FEBRUARY 16, 2023 - City of Torrance California workplace regulators fined ExxonMobil more than $500 million for the violations related to the explosion. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. In its final report, the CSB describes multiple gaps in the refinerys process safety management system, allowing for the operation of the FCC unit without pre-established safe operating limits and criteria for a shut down. The refineries are required to provide quarterly updates to the agency..
Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The respective responses were predictable: For years, both sides of this battle have zealously defended their positions. The incident caused the refinery to be . Its unclear what effect these new calls to action will have on the refineries MHF usage. Those calls for a ban remain. Before joining the newsroom in 2016, she was a general assignment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com. Let's get out of here. Four contractors at the plant suffered injuries and required medical treatment and eight workers had to be decontaminated. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Fill Out the Form Below for a Free Case Review with our Undefeated Personal Injury Lawyers. In September, the South Coast Air Quality Management District governing board voted instead to accept a voluntary oil industry pledge to enhance safety measures. And it directs L.A. County to support any new legislation that would help phase out MHF. Its been a few years now, and there has been very little progress.. Alex Wigglesworth is an environment reporter who covers wildfires for the Los Angeles Times. Torrance firefighters . The refineries are the only two in the state that use the substance. My first reaction was, this doesn't sound good, this doesn't look good. The information you review on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice.The verdicts and settlements that we have listed are simply intended to be representative of the cases that Zehl & Associates has handled for past clients; they are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome in your or any other lawsuit. The crowd gathered at 10 a.m. at Columbia Park on 190th Street, cheering the remarks of Lieu, Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi and other speakers, before marching the short distance to the refinery.
ExxonMobil's Torrance Refinery Sold Amid Report Of Potential Disaster The incident was reported around 1:15 p.m. on the 23500 block of Anza Avenue, just . Si no quieres que nosotros ni nuestros socios utilicemos cookies y datos personales para estos propsitos adicionales, haz clic en Rechazar todo. Additional locations: Dallas, TX | Midland, TX | Odessa, TX | Louisiana, Plant Explosion Lawyer Refinery & Pipeline, Railroad Crossing Accidents and Train Accidents, Longshore & Harbor Workers Compensation Act. 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. "You could feel it," said refinery worker Jason Hernandez.
California fire crews respond to ExxonMobil refinery explosion - CBS News Meantime, the Torrance Refining Company hosted a safety rally for employees. Four were taken to hospitals. Just before 9 that morning, pent-up gases at ExxonMobil's Torrance refinery south of Los Angeles had triggered an explosion so massive it registered as a magnitude-1.7 tremor. Three dozen firefighters knocked down the blaze within a half-hour.
Explosion at Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, California, injures four Refinery spokeswoman Betsy Brien said the fire was quickly extinguished and the Del Amo Boulevard barriers were activated to close the road under an abundance of caution.. Local battle over toxic chemical at Torrance,, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Local battle over toxic chemical at Torrance, Wilmington refineries continues, Baby girl Winter of Lake Arrowhead is born amid raging blizzard, Texas congressman who broke with GOP is censured, Biden expected to tighten rules on US investment in China, More Iranian schoolgirls sickened in suspected poisoning wave, explosion that rocked the Torrance Refinery, according to a 2018 report from the Torrance refinery defending its use of the chemical, protests and intensified public pressure from such activists, Heres why AQMD committee chose enhanced safety measures over a ban on MHF at refineries in Wilmington and Torrance, LA public health official urges phasing out MHF chemical at Torrance, Wilmington refineries, Activists call for state investigation into use of toxic chemical at two South Bay refineries, Court rules ExxonMobil must give feds crucial data on 2015 Torrance refinery explosion, Explosion at Torrance ExxonMobil refinery injures 4; spike in gas prices expected, Alpine Village shopkeepers get confirmation: theyre being evicted, San Pedro Fish Market bids a sad goodbye to legacy location, Alpine Village, for decades a German American hub, faces unknown future, Appeals court ruling in Lunada Bay Boys case could make cities liable for surf localism, Gracie Abrams behind Good Riddance message in Los Angeles sky, Tax filing deadline moves to mid-October for most Californians, 6 suspects wanted for holding up armored cars for $550,000-plus in Hawthorne, LA and Inglewood, California weighs $360,000 in reparations to eligible Black residents, Hermosa Beach Police arrest 2 men suspected in shooting attempt, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information.