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An explosion and fire rocked a refinery in El Segundo on Thursday night, sending up massive flames that could be seen for miles.
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 a.m.
Videos taken when the explosion occurred around 9:30 p.m. 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.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m., 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.
In north Redondo Beach, smoke billowed across the orange sky.
Julian Reese, 13, said he and his dad felt a major blast and then ran outside, seeing flames fill the sky.
At Aviation Park, just a few miles from the Chevron plant, Mark Rogers was playing in his weekly adult soccer league when the apparent explosion took place.
“I thought we got nuked or something,” said Rogers, 34. The referee ended up canceling their game minutes after it started due to the heavy smoke.
Keith Mohr, 53, lives just south of the refinery in Manhattan Beach. After he felt the blast, he told his wife to grab their dogs and head to the car. They returned home once officials said there was no public safety threat.
“This was 300-foot flames,” said Mohr, noting that he’s lived by the refinery for more than two decades and had never seen anything like the inferno. “I didn’t know if a plane crashed or there was an earthquake or both.”
Traffic was diverted away from the scene while road closures were put in place along Rosecrans Avenue from Vista Del Mar to Pacific Coast Highway and along Pacific Coast Highway from Rosecrans Avenue to El Segundo Boulevard.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom were both briefed on the incident Thursday night. Bass said there was no known impact to Los Angeles International Airport in a statement on X. The governor’s office said it was coordinating with local and state agencies to protect the surrounding community and ensure public safety, according to a statement on X.
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.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Clara Harter is a breaking news reporter at the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she covered politics and education for the L.A. Daily News. She majored in political science and Middle Eastern studies at Columbia University.
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Grace Toohey is a reporter at the Los Angeles Times covering breaking news for the Fast Break Desk. Before joining the newsroom in 2022, she covered criminal justice issues at the Orlando Sentinel and the Advocate in Baton Rouge. Toohey is a Maryland native and proud Terp.
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