2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The explosion sent ash raining down on vehicles parked near the sprawling 750-acre site and caused what one worker described as intense shaking. 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. ET), but there was no . The respective responses were predictable: For years, both sides of this battle have zealously defended their positions. And so, the battle over MHFs future appears set to linger on with the Board of Supervisors call for a ban the latest volley. Many in the neighborhood reported being startled by a large blast. Explosion reported in Torrance Fire department vehicles will patrol Los Angeles with vehicles and helicopters to identify the damage or emergency needs, it was reported. All communications are private and confidential. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Tammy Khan, of the Torrance Unified School District, said the shetler-in-place order was lifted early Wednesday afternoon. 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 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. Principal Office: Houston Texas. The CSB determined that on the day of the incident a slide valve that acted as a barrier failed. 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. And the incident was avoidable, CSB said: Mismanagement and improper safety protocols put in place by then-owner ExxonMobil who sold the refinery to PBF Energy shortly after the incident made the explosion likely. All safety systems at the refinery operated correctly and personnel were safe, police said. Fill Out the Form Below for a Free Case Review with our Undefeated Personal Injury Lawyers. The couple was taking a stroll outside of North High Schools football field on the day of the 2015 explosion. But HF is highly corrosive, posing a threat to nearby communities if it were dispersed as a gas during a fire, explosion or the like. Our Manhattan Beach office is physically closed at this time. 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Zehl & Associates is always looking for smart, hardworking and talented personal injury attorneys and staff to join our team. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. The incident caused the refinery to be run at limited capacity for over a year, raising gas prices in California and costing drivers in the state an estimated $2.4 billion. explosion also launched an 80,000-pound piece of equipment, failure to follow safety guidelines was partly to blame for the blast. 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. 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. Si no quieres que nosotros ni nuestros socios utilicemos cookies y datos personales para estos propsitos adicionales, haz clic en Rechazar todo. 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. A smoke advisory was issued for areas near the ExxonMobil refinery due to Wednesday morning's explosion and fire. Torrance Refinery on April 22 reported an unplanned flaring event, induced by damaged equipment, that sent an additional 765 pounds of SOx and 143 pounds of volatile organic compounds into the. 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. It was unclear what caused the fire. The Torrance refinery has completed all safety enhancements and Valero has begun installation of some elements of safety measures structures and additional implementation is ongoing, said SCAQMD spokesperson Nahal Mogharabi in an email. 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. The incident was reported around 1:15 p.m. on the 23500 block of Anza Avenue, just . 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. Four contractors at the plant suffered injuries and required medical treatment and eight workers had to be decontaminated. Fire crews knocked down the blaze within 30 minutes. Chairperson Sutherland said, Adoption of and adherence to a robust safety management process would have prevented these other incidents. 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. Numerous nearby residents complained about the air quality following the blast. Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers is a Houston Personal Injury Law Firm that represents accident victims across Texas, Louisiana and the United States. Officials were investigating the cause of the over-pressurization. Valero, owner of the Wilmington refinery, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Alex Wigglesworth is an environment reporter who covers wildfires for the Los Angeles Times. The improvements, though, also came after sustained pressure from the community and watchdog agencies. 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. 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. 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. That, the report said, would prevent the chemical from dispersing as widely as it would as an aerosol. Congresswoman Maxine Waters and I requested the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to investigate the explosion two years ago, Lieu said in the statement. In the past 5 years alone, our Plant Explosion Lawyers have Won over $1 Billion for workers who were seriously injured and burned in refinery and industrial accidents, represented workers in connection with every major plant and refinery explosion in recent history, and recovered record-setting verdicts and settlements against the largest oil and gas companies in the world, including ExxonMobil, Williams, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips. Residents reported shaking normally associated with earthquakes throughout the South Bay area. "Our main concern is for the safety of our employees and our neighbors.". 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. Robert Millea said he couldnt immediately confirm whether an explosion actually occurred, only that one was reported. Some community members do not believe that the company did not enough to respond to the emergency. 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. Its unclear what effect these new calls to action will have on the refineries MHF usage. in journalism from the University of Southern California. 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. Thousands of people could have been harmed if the MHF had dispersed beyond the Torrance refinery in 2015, the CSB report said. Hutchings holds a B.A. 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. And it directs L.A. County to support any new legislation that would help phase out MHF. At the center of that debate is the modified part of MHF. Hours after an explosion ripped through a Torrance refinery, residents for miles around continue to grapple with ash, a gas odor and concerns over poor air quality while inspectors confirmed that a filtration device was the source of the blast. 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.. Four apartments have been damaged, two of which sustained "significant damage.". As a result, unraveling the debates complexities remains challenging. 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