Deuel told The Associated Press the flare system was triggered to burn off fuel that could add to the fire. We need to ban MHF as soon as possible. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. TORRANCE, Calif. (KABC) -- The Torrance Police Department issued an alert for the city, notifying them that the Torrance ExxonMobil Refinery had an explosion and fire early Saturday morning. ExxonMobil said in a statement early Wednesday afternoon that "no harmful emissions have been detected.". 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. Eight workers were decontaminated at the scene. Although there are alternative alkylation technologies under development, Lafayette said, they still need to be proven to be safe, mechanically reliable, and commercially viable at the scale of the Torrance Alkylation Unit.. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Those safety enhancements, Lafayette said, include installing a new protective steel structure, water mitigation dome and curtain, an enhanced HF/MHF detection system, and additional water mitigation monitors. 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. The LA County Department of Public Health and former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra followed suit. Other groups including the refinerys unions and local businesses feared the potential economic fallout if the refineries were forced to transition to a safer alternative. The explosion was mostly contained to two of the buildings units, with each sustaining significant damage. It appeared it was a gas explosion, but a hazardous materials team was on scene Sunday afternoon working to determine exactly what occurred. 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. The remainder of the FCC unit is comprised of a portion of the reaction process and a series of pollution control equipment that uses air and is known as the air side of the unit. Thick smoke rose from a mangled, multiple-story portion of the Torrance ExxonMobil Refinery, located south of the 405 Freeway, after the 8:50 a.m. blast. I cant believe they dont have the guts to stand up and say, This is wrong and MHF needs to be out of our community, she said. The explosion on Feb. 18, 2015, was described by federal regulators as a serious near miss.. Some community members do not believe that the company did not enough to respond to the emergency. The fire was reported to the South Coast Air Quality Management District and California Office of Emergency Services, police said. Across California, CA | News | 15h. Paige Austin, Patch Staff. Torrance school officials confirmed that staff and students sheltered in place due to possible air quality issues. Those improvements were completed in 2021 and are now in service, Lafayette said. So far though, it doesn't appear as if any serious damage or injuries have occurred, barring reported explosions in Torrance. A reaction between hydrocarbons and catalyst takes place in what is known as the hydrocarbon side of the FCC unit. The refinery previously said that the citys Fire Department has the sole responsibility to decide what tools to use, when to use them, and what area within the community to notify. At the bottom of a public notice explaining the Torrance Community Warning System, however, ExxonMobil has the ability to initiate the use of the Community Alert Sirens and Crenshaw Street Barriers if an incident at the refinery warrants immediate community notification., The Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee and the Environmental Quality Committee has planned a joint hearing to address the emergency response in the Torrance refinery explosion. The state could potentially lose thousands of jobs, and it could result in higher gasoline prices at the pump for California residents, businesses, and government, Californians for a Sustainable Economy an association representing hundreds of local businesses wrote in opposition to the ban. TORRANCE (CBSLA) Firefighters say four people have been injured in a reported explosion at an apartment complex in Torrance. I urge SCAQMD to act with urgency, said the South Bay Democrat. Passing motorists supplied supportive honks. 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. 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. For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air. proporcionarte nuestros sitios y aplicaciones; autenticar usuarios, aplicar medidas de seguridad y evitar el spam y los abusos, y. medir el uso que haces de nuestros sitios y aplicaciones. And Torrance receives about $7.5 million annually in utility user taxes from the refinerys operation. God may not warn us again.. They heard a loud explosion, kind of like a sonic boom, said Jason Davis, who lives near the complex. The CSBs report concludes that the unit was operating without proper procedures.. Anza Avenue had been closed for a few hoursas emergency personnel responded. The motion the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed in mid-February asks Gov. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. The explosion also launched an 80,000-pound piece of equipment within feet of a structure that housed a highly volatile and toxic substance, modified hydrofluoric acid. Investigators were trying to determine the cause of the blast, which occurred shortly before 9 a.m. PST . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. My first reaction was, this doesn't sound good, this doesn't look good. Of the injured, two were said to have sustained significant injuries. TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA Just before 9 a.m. on February 18, the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California exploded, shaking the surrounding community with the force of a 1.7 magnitude earthquake, and sending a quarter ton of sulfur oxide gas into the atmosphere. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Cliff and Donna Heise, for example, serve as secretary and treasurer of the TRAA, respectively. Torrance firefighters . Torrance fire Capt. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. No injuries were reported, and the fire did not impact anything offsite. ExxonMobil Refinery Explosion Injures Two, Rains Ash Upon Neighborhood - Redondo Beach, CA - The blast at the Torrance refinery could be seen for miles and caused 1.7 magnitude ground-shaking. In September, the South Coast Air Quality Management District governing board voted instead to accept a voluntary oil industry pledge to enhance safety measures. 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, then-CSB Chairwoman Vanessa Allen Sutherland said in a statement at the time. Various elected officials have periodically attempted to rein in its use at the Torrance refinery and another in Wilmington, the only two in the state that use the chemical. The explosion filled surrounding neighborhoods with ash, fiberglass, and glass wool. PBF, for its part, has repeatedly said concerns from local groups against MHF were unwarranted. 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. Residents reported shaking normally associated with earthquakes throughout the South Bay area. Activists carried signs reading Congratulations PBF, zero days explosion free and All lives matter while chanting Hey, hey, ho, ho, MHF has got to go. Some said the turnout demonstrates the series of refinery disruptions has reached a crisis point. 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. in journalism from the University of Southern California. The cause of the fire, which Millea said burned an unspecified amount of crude oil, is under scrutiny by investigators from Cal-OSHA, the states worker safety agency, while a county hazardous materials team also was on the scene. All rights reserved. A buildup of natural gas caused the explosion that leveled a Torrance home, damaged scores of others and rained glass, stucco and other debris over a two-block area, investigators said. Gen. Xavier Becerras office investigate how the Torrance and Wilmington refineries are able to legally operate using hydrofluoric acid. 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Every one of our lawyers is a Houston personal injury attorney whos undefeated in the courtroom and has recovered some of the largest verdicts and settlements in history. 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. Hahns February motion also asks the AQMDs refinery committee to provide an update on the status of safety improvements listed in the refineries proffers. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. The CSBs report emphasizes that it is critical that hydrocarbons do not flow into the air side of the FCC unit, as this can create an explosive atmosphere. The AQMDs own reports warned that the ability of MHF to prevent formation of a vapor/aerosol cloud is highly uncertain and that a release of MHF will result in exposure to HF with the same health effects.. The four victims were found suffering varying degrees on injuries. It provides 362 jobs around $30 million in wages in Torrance, according to its website. 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.
