explosion in torrance today explosion in torrance today

Authorities said the incident happened around 6 a.m. and 36 firefighters responded to the refinery. Workers were seen boarded up the windows of the affected apartments later Sunday afternoon. The work of the Safety Auditor was overseen by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge and approved prior to use of MHF at the refinery.. 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Eight workers were decontaminated at the scene. A blast was reported at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California. The large turnout surprised even the diverse group of participants unaccustomed to seeing such political activism in a conservative community. They claim nothing has been done, she added, without any proof, other than their beliefs, which are incorrect and misleading.. "Our main concern is for the safety of our employees and our neighbors.". For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air. ExxonMobil was fined more than $500 million for workplace violations related to the blast. 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. When you think about it, she said, it makes you not want to sleep at night.. First published on April 8, 2018 / 2:50 PM. Posted Wed, Feb 18, 2015 at 5:20 pm PT. 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. 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. 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. The explosion sent ash raining down on. Congresswoman Maxine Waters and I requested the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to investigate the explosion two years ago, Lieu said in the statement. PUBLISHED: February 18, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. | UPDATED: February 18, 2023 at 8:01 a.m. It's been eight years since a massive explosion at the Torrance Refinery shook the South Bay with the blast. Its been a few years now, and there has been very little progress.. TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) A New Jersey-based oil refining company announced Wednesday it is purchasing the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance that was badly damaged in a February explosion, with. Four apartments have been damaged, two of which sustained "significant damage.". The motion the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed in mid-February asks Gov. 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). The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory for any areas where residents can see or smell smoke. Four people were injured in an explosion at an apartment building in Torrance Sunday afternoon, officials said. 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. The building has been undergoing renovations for some time, and the victims are believed to be remodelers working in one of the involved units, neighbors said. Alex Wigglesworth is an environment reporter who covers wildfires for the Los Angeles Times. 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.. Having affordable fuel that is readily available is a vital part of the California economy.. Si no quieres que nosotros ni nuestros socios utilicemos cookies y datos personales para estos propsitos adicionales, haz clic en Rechazar todo. Principal Office: Houston Texas. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. The latest fire in an ongoing series of mishaps including leaks, excessive flaring and power outages that have plagued the refinery in recent months added fuel to the arguments of opponents that the plant is a safety and environmental hazard. Para obtener ms informacin sobre cmo utilizamos tus datos personales, consulta nuestra Poltica de privacidad y Poltica de cookies. 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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. The machines are responsible for reducing ammonia and particulate emissions in a plant to comply with environmental regulations. in communication and M.S. Since the February 2015 explosion, the refinery has experienced multiple incidents. Anza Avenue had been closed for a few hoursas emergency personnel responded. With the addition of these voluntary safety enhancements and other obligations completed and operating, we have fulfilled our obligation to further protect Refinery personnel and the community, Lafayette said. There was a "large fire explosion" at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery in Southern California on Wednesday morning, according to the Torrance Police Department. All the while, officials at those facilities have defended the chemicals use as safe. 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. There, too, the Torrance refinery has disagreed. 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. It provides 362 jobs around $30 million in wages in Torrance, according to its website. Overturned gas tanker explodes, killing 1 person, Texas mom in custody after 5 of her kids were stabbed, leaving 3 dead, Ja Morant says he'll get help after video shows apparent gun. The refineries are the only two in the state that use the substance. After protests and intensified public pressure from such activists as the Heises mounted in 2017, the AQMDs Proposed Rule 1410 became a key focus of the agencys Governing Board. And those who run the Torrance facility also say its refinery hasnt experienced an off-site leak of either HF or MHF since it opened in 1966. There have also been multiple safety enhancements to prevent leaks, they say. Bontas office said it hadnt received a letter from the county. Tammy Khan, of the Torrance Unified School District, said the shetler-in-place order was lifted early Wednesday afternoon. The CSB is an independent, non-regulatory federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical incidents. The refineries are required to provide quarterly updates to the agency.. The explosion on Feb. 18, 2015, was described by federal regulators as a serious near miss.. They heard a loud explosion, kind of like a sonic boom, said Jason Davis, who lives near the complex. 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. Investigators are still looking into the cause of the explosion, wh. In its final report, the CSB describes multiple gaps in the refinerys process safety management system, allowing for the operation of the FCC unit without pre-established safe operating limits and criteria for a shut down. The fire, possibly triggered by an explosion that has not yet been confirmed, was reported at 6 a.m. Saturday in the plant's crude oil unit, said Torrance Assistant Fire Chief Steve Treskes. "I have second thoughts about being out here right now," said resident Anthony Scales. The improvements, though, also came after sustained pressure from the community and watchdog agencies. There was also minor damage to two adjoining apartments, according to Millea. The Supervisor knew the proffers were toothless, Odendahl said. Both the PBF and Valero refineries are situated in densely populated areas of the South Bay: About 245,000 people live within three miles of the Torrance refinery and another 153,000 live within that same distance of Valeros refinery, AQMD said. 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. 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. 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 Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. explosion also launched an 80,000-pound piece of equipment, failure to follow safety guidelines was partly to blame for the blast. For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air. 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. Officials were not aware of their exact conditions, but witnesses said some were seriously hurt. Several residents noticed what they described as a larger-than-usual flame from the plant's towering flare stack. May 3, 2017, Torrance, CA, -- 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. Refinery officials, though, say MHF was specifically designed to be safer than its non-modified original hydrofluoric acid and has been reviewed by experts and deemed the best catalyst for the refining process. Some community members do not believe that the company did not enough to respond to the emergency. They have not yet completed their final investigation, and I will be asking the Chemical Safety Board to include todays fire and explosion as part of their investigation.. We voluntarily enhanced the Alkylation Units robust, layered safety systems already considered by experts to be amongst the most advanced in the world, Lafayette wrote, by installing additional safety enhancements.. Its unacceptable we were put in harms way, said Daphne Wong, who added that she does not believe the official line that Torrance is a safe community. If you're interested in joining our team, you can apply for a position here. Four contractors at the plant suffered injuries and required medical treatment and eight workers had to be decontaminated. Deuel told The Associated Press the flare system was triggered to burn off fuel that could add to the fire. 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. Redondo Beach Local News. 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. All rights reserved, Los Angeles County Holds Stable COVID-19 Hospitalization Rate, Tax Deadlines Extended to October for Most Californians Due to Storms, Check Your Pockets: These Coins Can Be Worth Up To $24,000, Glendale Neighborhood Frustrated After an Illegal Hostel Moves In, Road Rage Incident Kicks Off Pursuit, Carjacking, and Weapon Fired Out Window in Wild Chase, NASA Images Show Southern California Mountains Before and After Winter Storm. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Many in the neighborhood reported being startled by a large blast. 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. My first reaction was, this doesn't sound good, this doesn't look good. Chevron, for example, successfully converted its Salt Lake City refinery from HF to a new alkylation technology last year. Puedes cambiar tus opciones en cualquier momento haciendo clic en el enlace Panel de control de privacidad de nuestros sitios y aplicaciones. 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. And so, the battle over MHFs future appears set to linger on with the Board of Supervisors call for a ban the latest volley. The refinery, where about 155,000 barrels of crude oil are processed each day, has been part of the South Bay landscape since the 1920s. Cliff and Donna Heise, for example, serve as secretary and treasurer of the TRAA, respectively. The CSB notes that it is vital to ensure that safety critical equipment can successfully carry out its intended function. MHF opponents have also expressed concerns that the refineries havent done enough to ensure the communities safety. Of the injured, two were said to have sustained significant injuries. 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. Residents touted the move, introduced by Supervisor Janice Hahn and timed to the anniversary, while PBF, in a statement, criticized the county boards vote. Our Manhattan Beach office is physically closed at this time. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Visit our website, www.csb.gov. As a result, when the valve was needed during an emergency, it did not work as intended, and hydrocarbons were able to reach an ignition source. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. A smoke advisory was issued for areas near the ExxonMobil refinery due to Wednesday morning's explosion and fire. Let's get out of here. Some said they heard one of the workers may have turned on the gas inside one of the apartments before it was completely ready. 2022 Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers. The Torrance refinery, according to its website, has made several improvements, including a leak-detection system, upgraded water monitors, 24/7 automated, continuously monitored unit cameras and an expanded water mitigation system. In September, the South Coast Air Quality Management District governing board voted instead to accept a voluntary oil industry pledge to enhance safety measures. All rights reserved. California workplace regulators fined ExxonMobil more than $500 million for the violations related to the explosion. The CSBs report concludes that the unit was operating without proper procedures.. Minor injuries were reported after the explosion ripped apart structures at the oil refinery and shook homes for miles around the blast site in southern Los Angeles County. Fire crews knocked down the blaze within 30 minutes. Were also the only law firm in the country thats currently representing over 65 of the workers who were injured in the Williams Geismar explosion, as well as 3 of the 4 workers who were tragically killed in the October 2015 Williams explosion in Gibson, Louisiana. But in the years since the 2015 explosion, residents have continued decrying MHF. At the center of that debate is the modified part of MHF. They have lived in a neighborhood directly adjacent to the Torrance refinery for 48 years. 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. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. On a day when activists marked the two-year anniversary of an explosion that rocked the then-ExxonMobil refinery and showered neighborhoods with industrial debris, another fire erupted at the troubled Torrance plant early Saturday. 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