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Minor injuries were reported after a powerful explosion ripped apart structures at an oil refinery Wednesday morning and shook homes for miles around the blast site in southern Los Angeles County.
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, which led to an air quality advisory due to the smoke. The explosion sent ash raining down on vehicles parked near the sprawling 750-acre refinery property and caused what a worker described as intense shaking.
"You could feel it," said refinery worker Jason Hernandez. "It was like a loud sonic boom. My first reaction was, this doesn't sound good, this doesn't look good. Let's get out of here.
"I just appreciate that I'm here. First thing I thought was to call my wife, my kids, and let them know I'm safe."
Refinery Explosion Rocks Torrance
Residents reported shaking normally associated with earthquakes throughout the South Bay area. A Redondo Beach resident told NBC4 windows rattled at his house, about five miles from the refinery.
"I was having my cup of coffee and all of the sudden the whole house shook, the windows vibrated," said Torrance resident John White. "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."
California Occupational Safety and Health officials were at the site to begin their investigation Wednesday morning.
NBC4 is attempting to confirm details regarding the cause of the explosion, after which several residents noticed what they described as a larger-than-usual flame from the plant's towering flare stack. Flares from the stack, part of a safety relief valve system, are part of normal operations that occasionally produce a rumbling sound, like distant thunder, caused by turbulent mixing of vapors.
Students, Parents React After Explosion Locks Down Schools
Students and parents described being told to shelter in place after an explosion at the nearby ExxonMobil oil refinery in Torrance rattled homes and buildings, bringing shaking some described as earthquake-like. Patrick Healy reports for the NBC4 News at Noon on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (Published Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015)
Fire department spokesman Steve Deuel told The Associated Press the flare system was triggered to burn off fuel that could add to the fire. He said the blast happened in a processing facility and the material involved was gasoline.
Torrance police said there were minor injuries, and "everyone is accounted for." In a statement, a public affairs official with the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery said the plant "experienced an incident" and four contractors were hospitalized "for evaluation for minor injuries."
"Emergency procedures have been activated to address the incident, and employees are working with the appropriate agencies," according to the statement. "Our main concern is for the safety of our employees and our neighbors."
"From my understanding, it was a significant incident," said Mayor Patrick Furey.
Torrance Mayor Comments on Refinery Explosion
Torrance Mayor Patrick Furey tells residents near the Exxon-Mobil refinery explosion to shelter in place. (Published Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015)
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory for any areas where residents can see or smell smoke. Torrance officials said there was no chemical release and a city-wide shelter-in-place order is not necessary, but those near the site should keep windows closed.
ExxonMobil said in a statement early Wednesday afternoon that "no harmful emissions have been detected."
Torrance school officials confirmed that staff and students shelterered in place due to possible air quality issues. Tammy Khan, of the Torrance Unified School District, said the shetler-in-place order was lifted early Wednesday afternoon.
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.
Homes Shaken Miles Away From Oil Refinery Explosion
An NBC4 viewer described what it felt like when an explosion ripped through an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Torrance Wednesday morning. (Published Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015)
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, which led to an air quality advisory due to the smoke. The explosion sent ash raining down on vehicles parked near the sprawling 750-acre refinery property and caused what a worker described as intense shaking.
"You could feel it," said refinery worker Jason Hernandez. "It was like a loud sonic boom. My first reaction was, this doesn't sound good, this doesn't look good. Let's get out of here.
"I just appreciate that I'm here. First thing I thought was to call my wife, my kids, and let them know I'm safe."
Refinery Explosion Rocks Torrance
Residents reported shaking normally associated with earthquakes throughout the South Bay area. A Redondo Beach resident told NBC4 windows rattled at his house, about five miles from the refinery.
"I was having my cup of coffee and all of the sudden the whole house shook, the windows vibrated," said Torrance resident John White. "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."
California Occupational Safety and Health officials were at the site to begin their investigation Wednesday morning.
NBC4 is attempting to confirm details regarding the cause of the explosion, after which several residents noticed what they described as a larger-than-usual flame from the plant's towering flare stack. Flares from the stack, part of a safety relief valve system, are part of normal operations that occasionally produce a rumbling sound, like distant thunder, caused by turbulent mixing of vapors.
Students, Parents React After Explosion Locks Down Schools
Students and parents described being told to shelter in place after an explosion at the nearby ExxonMobil oil refinery in Torrance rattled homes and buildings, bringing shaking some described as earthquake-like. Patrick Healy reports for the NBC4 News at Noon on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (Published Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015)
Fire department spokesman Steve Deuel told The Associated Press the flare system was triggered to burn off fuel that could add to the fire. He said the blast happened in a processing facility and the material involved was gasoline.
Torrance police said there were minor injuries, and "everyone is accounted for." In a statement, a public affairs official with the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery said the plant "experienced an incident" and four contractors were hospitalized "for evaluation for minor injuries."
"Emergency procedures have been activated to address the incident, and employees are working with the appropriate agencies," according to the statement. "Our main concern is for the safety of our employees and our neighbors."
"From my understanding, it was a significant incident," said Mayor Patrick Furey.
Torrance Mayor Comments on Refinery Explosion
Torrance Mayor Patrick Furey tells residents near the Exxon-Mobil refinery explosion to shelter in place. (Published Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015)
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory for any areas where residents can see or smell smoke. Torrance officials said there was no chemical release and a city-wide shelter-in-place order is not necessary, but those near the site should keep windows closed.
ExxonMobil said in a statement early Wednesday afternoon that "no harmful emissions have been detected."
Torrance school officials confirmed that staff and students shelterered in place due to possible air quality issues. Tammy Khan, of the Torrance Unified School District, said the shetler-in-place order was lifted early Wednesday afternoon.
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.
Homes Shaken Miles Away From Oil Refinery Explosion
An NBC4 viewer described what it felt like when an explosion ripped through an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Torrance Wednesday morning. (Published Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015)
