Theyre going to pass it on to the consumer.. My first reaction was, this doesn't sound good, this doesn't look good. The fire was reported to the South Coast Air Quality Management District and California Office of Emergency Services, police said. All communications are private and confidential. Fire crews knocked down the blaze within 30 minutes. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. 6 Min Read. Since then, at least one leak of hydrofluoric acid and several fires have prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to propose a ban on hydrofluoric acid. All rights reserved. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Best coffee city in the world? Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Some said they heard one of the workers may have turned on the gas inside one of the apartments before it was completely ready. Officials were not aware of their exact conditions, but witnesses said some were seriously hurt. 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. Organizers estimated the crowd size at more than 400. The Heises, for their part, are still working to educate residents in Torrance and Wilmington about their MHF concerns and are grateful the issue is still being monitored. "I was having my cup of coffee and all of the sudden the whole house shook, the windows vibrated," said Torrance resident John White. They heard a loud explosion, kind of like a sonic boom, said Jason Davis, who lives near the complex. But at least for now, environmentalists and the refineries remain entrenched in their positions. Weve won over $1 Billion for our clients, recovered some of the largest verdicts and settlement in history, and obtained record-setting victories against the biggest trucking, oil and gas, maritime and petrochemical companies in the world. Steve Deuel said. Had we known then what we know now, Cliff Heise said, we wouldve run, not walked home.. Two others sustained minor injuries. But in the years since the 2015 explosion, residents have continued decrying MHF. 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. Inside the refinery, the explosion blew off parts of an electrostatic precipitator and damaged other equipment at the plant. The CSBs report concludes that the unit was operating without proper procedures.. The AQMD estimated that replacing the MHF alkylation units with a safer sulfuric acid unit would cost the Torrance refinery about $900 million, and could temporarily impact gasoline supply and cost. 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. 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. 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. She currently lives in Inglewood. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. I urge SCAQMD to act with urgency, said the South Bay Democrat. 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 Torrance receives about $7.5 million annually in utility user taxes from the refinerys operation. Refineries are not supposed to have explosions. Zehl & Associates is always looking for smart, hardworking and talented personal injury attorneys and staff to join our team. The information you review on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice.The verdicts and settlements that we have listed are simply intended to be representative of the cases that Zehl & Associates has handled for past clients; they are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome in your or any other lawsuit. Para obtener ms informacin sobre cmo utilizamos tus datos personales, consulta nuestra Poltica de privacidad y Poltica de cookies. Notably absent from the event was any sign of Torrance elected officials, although police officers in several patrol cars discreetly kept their eye on the peaceful protesters from a distance. The refineries are required to provide quarterly updates to the agency.. A powerful blast at an ExxonMobil oil refinery rocked Torrance, California, on Wednesday. The Torrance Refinery Action Alliance plans on Tuesday to deliver a letter from its science advisory panel to Newsoms office urging him to request that Atty. mostrar anuncios y contenido personalizados basados en perfiles de inters; medir la efectividad de los anuncios y el contenido personalizados, y. desarrollar y mejorar nuestros productos y servicios. 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. Authorities said the incident happened around 6 a.m. and 36 firefighters responded to the refinery. Residents reported shaking normally associated with earthquakes throughout the South Bay area. explosion also launched an 80,000-pound piece of equipment, failure to follow safety guidelines was partly to blame for the blast. 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Posted Wed, Feb 18, 2015 at 5:20 pm PT. The incident caused the refinery to be . Redondo Beach Local News. The explosion on Feb. 18, 2015, was described by federal regulators as a serious near miss.. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Torrance fire Capt. A reaction between hydrocarbons and catalyst takes place in what is known as the hydrocarbon side of the FCC unit. The LA County Department of Public Health and former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra followed suit. Fortunately, the explosion did not release asbestos, but the material released contained fiberglass and glass wool which can cause respiratory issues. By then, the husband said, theyd been living in the city long enough to know exactly what the sound was. In 2017, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board published a 73-page report on the explosion. The proposal had plenty of support: Reps. Nanette Barragan, Ted Lieu and Maxine Waters wrote letters urging the AQMD to pass the rule and phase MHF out of Southern California. Four contractors at the plant suffered injuries and required medical treatment and eight workers had to be decontaminated. PBF also reached a separate agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to upgrade an additional water monitor in 2020, according to Lafayette. The explosion filled surrounding neighborhoods with ash, fiberglass, and glass wool. "I just appreciate that I'm here. Many in the neighborhood reported being startled by a large blast. The issues to be discussed include A decision not to use the ExxonMobil emergency siren to alert the community to the explosion and subsequent ash and dust fallout.. Fill Out the Form Below for a Free Case Review with our Undefeated Personal Injury Lawyers. All safety systems at the refinery operated correctly and personnel were safe, police said. 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. In the late 1980s, ExxonMobil and Phillips 66 jointly created modified hydrofluoric acid, which boasts a chemical additive that, when used in high enough concentrations, can prevent the poisonous chemical from dispersing. The fiercest local opponent of MHF is the Torrance Refinery Action Alliance. But we had no idea about the danger.. The four victims were found suffering varying degrees on injuries. A Redondo Beach resident told NBC4 windows rattled at his house, about five miles from the refinery. For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air. 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. TORRANCE TODAY is a 15-minute live news broadcast airing Monday. If that was the case, we wouldnt have seen another explosion today, she added. 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. Prior to joining the Press-Telegram, she served as the Daily Breeze's lead city hall reporter. 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. In working with inherently dangerous products, it is critical to conduct a robust risk management analysis with the intent of continually safety improvement.. 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. By Nichola Groom TORRANCE, Calif. (Reuters) - An explosion and fire ripped through a gasoline processing unit at an Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance, California, near Los Angeles on Wednesday, slightly injuring four workers and shattering windows of surrounding buildings, authorities said.

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