Large fire breaks out at el Segundo refinery in Los Angeles | California
A fire broke out in the El Segundo refinery in Chevron, the California governor’s press office Gavin Newsom, said a county manager adding that the flames had been confined to an area.
The cause of the fire was not clear, said Los Angeles Times, while CBS said the firefighters had been called in the Los Angeles County refinery after being reported with an explosion.
“Our office is coordinated with local and state agencies to … Ensure public security,” said Newsom’s press office on X.
CBS cited the police saying that they were not aware of immediate injury or evacuations, adding that the Los Angeles County supervisor, Holly Mitchell, said the crews contained the fire in an area of the refinery.
In a regulatory file, the American energy company also reported an emergency escape in El Segundo.
The nominal capacity of the refinery is 290,000 barrels per day, and its main products are petrol, jet and diesel, said Chevron on its website. Its total storage capacity is 12.5 million barrels in approximately 150 major tanks.
The Los Angeles fire service was ready to meet any assistance request, said mayor Karen Bass.
“There is no known impact on Lax at the moment,” she added, referring to the city’s occupied international airport.
Mark Rogers told La Times he played football at Aviation Park, a few kilometers from the Chevron factory, when the apparent explosion took place. “I thought we were naked or something,” Rogers, 34, told the newspaper. The referee canceled his game due to heavy smoke, he reported.
Reuters contributed to this report
