Refinery Fire in Metro LA Controlled by Firefighters

A fire at a large refinery in metro Los Angeles was under control early Wednesday and no injuries had been reported, authorities said.

Firefighters continued to pour water onto part of the refinery at sunrise but there were no large flames visible.

The fire erupted late Tuesday after an explosion in a cooling tower at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in the city of Carson, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

REFINERY FIRE | FS36 | #Carson | An explosion preceded fire in a cooling tower at the Marathon Refinery. Marathon personal keeping flames in check via fixed ground monitors while they work to depressurize the system. LACOFD assisting.

— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) February 26, 2020

#MarathonIC *UPDATE* Firefighters continue to make progress reducing the size of this fire, while providing protection to exposures. Residual pressure from remaining flammable gas is still contributing to limited fire activity. Engineers continue work to isolate fuel sources. pic.twitter.com/qVmZiA0sQW

— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) February 26, 2020

Air monitors on the perimeter of the refinery found no harmful products were emitted during the fire, the department said.

Authorities did not immediately say what sparked the fire, which prompted officials to temporarily close all lanes of the Interstate 405 freeway.

Marathon is the largest refinery on the West Coast with a crude oil capacity of 363,000 barrels daily, according to the company’s website.

It manufactures gasoline and diesel fuel, along with distillates, petroleum coke, anode-grade coke, chemical-grade propylene, fuel-grade coke, heavy fuel oil and propane, according to the company’s website.