On the two-year anniversary of a massive explosion that crippled the then-ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, the plant now owned by PBF Energy was hit with another explosion and fire today in its crude unit.
Torrance Assistant Fire Chief Steve Treskes said the explosion was reported at 6 a.m. Saturday, but three dozen firefighters knocked down the blaze within a half-hour. For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air.
No injuries were reported and there were no evacuations.
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.”
Other than the affected crude unit, the refinery continues to operate, Brien said.
Torrance fire Capt. Robert Millea said he couldn’t immediately confirm whether an explosion actually occurred, only that one was reported. In a statement, PBF Energy said, “We did not receive a report of an explosion.”
Investigation ongoing
The cause of the fire, which Millea said burned an unspecified amount of crude oil, is under investigation.
The refinery now owned by PBF Energy has been plagued with a series of incidents since the massive blast two years ago that almost caused a catastrophic release of highly toxic hydrofluoric acid that could have killed and injured thousands.
Several contractors were injured in the Feb. 18, 2015, blast that shut down the refinery for more than a year, leading to soaring gas prices in Southern California.
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California regulators fined ExxonMobil more than $500 million for workplace violations related to the blast.
Since then, at least one leak of hydrofluoric acid and several fires have prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to propose a ban on HF.
Request to safety board
In a statement today, U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu said he plans to ask the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to include today’s incident as part of its investigation into problems at the trouble-plagued refinery.
“Congresswoman Maxine Waters and I requested the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to investigate the explosion two years ago,” Lieu said in the statement. “They have not yet completed their final investigation and I will be asking the Chemical Safety Board to include today’s fire and explosion as part of their investigation.”
Lieu commended the AQMD for its proposal to phase out the use of modified hydrofluoric acid at the plant, one of only two refineries in California to rely on MHF.
“I urge SCAQMD to act with urgency,” said the South Bay Democrat. “Refineries are not supposed to have explosions. We need to ban MHF as soon as possible. God may not warn us again.”
Problems at the refinery have galvanized grass-roots groups pushing for a ban on hydrofluoric acid and other safety improvements.
A protest and march today marked the two-year anniversary of the 2015 explosion. Activists gathered at 10 a.m. at Columbia Park on 190th Street in Torrance and marched to the refinery, where a rally was staged.
In response, the refinery planned a safety rally for its workers at the same time to “reflect upon the (2015) incident.”
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