Those safety advances, however, have come since the 2015 explosion and a harsh assessment by federal investigators. 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. 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.. The governors office confirmed they received the request, but declined further comment. Really? read one of the signs carried by chanting marchers who endured a steady downpour to protest the use of toxic hydrofluoric acid at the refinery. More than a day after the accident, no representative from ExxonMobil had directly contacted the Torrance fire chief and city officials still did not know what was in the substances that were released into the surrounding areas. 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. ExxonMobil said in a statement early Wednesday afternoon that "no harmful emissions have been detected.". That failure ultimately allowed hydrocarbons to flow into the air side of the FCC, where they ignited in a piece of equipment called the electrostatic precipitator, or ESP, causing an explosion of the ESP. For decades, hydrofluoric acid was a standard chemical in oil refining, serving as a catalyst during a process known as alkylation. However, our staff is working remotely and can assist you via phone or email. TORRANCE (CBSLA) Firefighters say four people have been injured in a reported explosion at an apartment complex in Torrance. California Occupational Safety and Health officials were at the site investigating. The Heises, for their part, are still working to educate residents in Torrance and Wilmington about their MHF concerns and are grateful the issue is still being monitored. Valero, owner of the Wilmington refinery, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. We need to ban MHF as soon as possible. "I kind of figured we had an earthquake, then I realized, living by the factory for all those years, they had a problem with the factory.". So far though, it doesn't appear as if any serious damage or injuries have occurred, barring reported explosions in Torrance. The CSB is an independent, non-regulatory federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical incidents. The Torrance Fire Department responded to an explosion at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery on Feb. 18, 2015. The cause of the accident was not immediately known, but it was believed to be caused by over pressurization in the plants electrostatic precipitators. Community members who may have been impacted by the explosion can call the ExxonMobil claims hotline at 844-631-2539. There was no sign of an announced safety rally at the refinery PBF had planned to hold for workers as a counterpoint to the demonstration so they could reflect upon the (2015) incident.. Feb . Si no quieres que nosotros ni nuestros socios utilicemos cookies y datos personales para estos propsitos adicionales, haz clic en Rechazar todo. Cuando utilizas nuestros sitios y aplicaciones, usamos. 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. The decision by the board came one week after the two refineries sent letters offering to install improved safety systems in the coming years if regulators ended their pursuit of new rules for the chemical. Investigators are trying to determine what caused the explosion at a Torrance oil refinery that sent four workers to the hospital. ET), but there was no . Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. For more than seven years, members of small, local activist groups have been irresponsibly making claims against the Refinerys use of MHF, without any basis in fact, Lafayette wrote recently. 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. explosion also launched an 80,000-pound piece of equipment, failure to follow safety guidelines was partly to blame for the blast. The CSB investigation also discovered that a large piece of debris from the explosion narrowly missed hitting a tank containing tens of thousands of pounds of modified hydrofluoric acid, or MHF. 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. 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 . 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 910 | Washington, DC 20006. Kim Baldonado, Patrick Healy, Jason Kandel, and Tena Ezzeddine contributed to this report. 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. 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County, Over $38M stolen from low-income SoCal families, Newport Beach home dangling after cliffside collapse, High-speed rail from L.A. to Vegas: What we know, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Principal Office: Houston Texas. In working with inherently dangerous products, it is critical to conduct a robust risk management analysis with the intent of continually safety improvement.. 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). 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The refineries are required to provide quarterly updates to the agency.. First thing I thought was to call my wife, my kids, and let them know I'm safe.". 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. Homes shook in . That 2015 blast registered as a small earthquake that shook nearby houses, injured four of the facilitys workers and covered the area in dust and ash. TORRANCE TODAY is a 15-minute live news broadcast airing Monday. The Supervisor knew the proffers were toothless, Odendahl said. Those calls for a ban remain. torrance News Caught on video: Car-to-car shooting on 91 Freeway Video shows a shooting between people in two cars traveling on the freeway in the Long Beach area. All rights reserved. "Our main concern is for the safety of our employees and our neighbors.". Another fire? All communications are private and confidential. Four people were injured in an explosion at an apartment building in Torrance Sunday afternoon, officials said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. CSB Releases Final Report into 2015 Explosion at ExxonMobil Refinery in Torrance, California, Drivers of Critical Chemical Safety Change, Process Safety Management for the 21st Century, Emergency Planning and Response (Preparedness), Website design & development by Americaneagle.com. The incident was reported around 1:15 p.m. on the 23500 block of Anza Avenue, just north of the Pacific Coast Highway, Assistant Torrance Fire Chief Robert Millea said. Four apartments have been damaged, two of which sustained "significant damage.". Had we known then what we know now, Cliff Heise said, we wouldve run, not walked home.. Had the tanks ruptured, the report said, it would have caused a massive release of MHF, which can be deadly to anyone who comes in contact with it. Gen. Xavier Becerras office investigate how the Torrance and Wilmington refineries are able to legally operate using hydrofluoric acid. 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 hydrofluoric acid. Many in the neighborhood reported being startled by a large blast. Refineries are not supposed to have explosions. 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. This is a breaking news story. All Rights Reserved. But in the years since the 2015 explosion, residents have continued decrying MHF. Investigators were trying to determine the cause of the blast, which occurred shortly before 9 a.m. PST . There have also been multiple safety enhancements to prevent leaks, they say. PBF Energy, which now owns the Torrance Refining Co. refinery, denied that an explosion occurred. 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.. In February, a large explosion occurred at ExxonMobils refinery in Torrance, California. The explosion filled surrounding neighborhoods with ash, fiberglass, and glass wool. Explosion at Torrance refinery - Los Angeles Times SUBSCRIBE Copyright 2022, Los Angeles Times | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | CA Notice of Collection | Do Not Sell My Personal. 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. 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. Since the February 2015 explosion, the refinery has experienced multiple incidents.