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. 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. 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. Nosotros, Yahoo, somos parte de la familia de marcas de Yahoo. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. The PBF Energy facility has been plagued with a series of incidents since the massive blast two years ago that almost caused a catastrophic release of highly toxic hydrofluoric acid that could have killed and injured thousands. Those calls for a ban remain. TORRANCE (CBSLA) Firefighters say four people have been injured in a reported explosion at an apartment complex in Torrance. Inside the refinery, the explosion blew off parts of an electrostatic precipitator and damaged other equipment at the plant. Liz Odendahl, Hahns spokeswoman, said in an interview that the supervisor was furious at the AQMDs decision to accept the refineries proffers. There have also been multiple safety enhancements to prevent leaks, they say. TORRANCE, Calif. -- An explosion rocked an Exxon Mobil refinery on Wednesday morning, triggering a huge smokestack flare, raining down ash and leaving four with minor injuries, company and. 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. I cant believe they dont have the guts to stand up and say, This is wrong and MHF needs to be out of our community, she said. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. Hire a Houston personal injury lawyer with a proven track record. Those safety enhancements, Lafayette said, include installing a new protective steel structure, water mitigation dome and curtain, an enhanced HF/MHF detection system, and additional water mitigation monitors. 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air. All rights reserved. Bontas office said it hadnt received a letter from the county. There was also minor damage to two adjoining apartments, according to Millea. 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. 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. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bontas offices to take all possible actions to require refineries in California to convert from MHF to safer alternatives.. A Redondo Beach resident told NBC4 windows rattled at his house, about five miles from the refinery. 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. Some said they heard one of the workers may have turned on the gas inside one of the apartments before it was completely ready. 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. 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. MHF opponents have also expressed concerns that the refineries havent done enough to ensure the communities safety. 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. TORRANCE TODAY - FEBRUARY 16, 2023 - City of Torrance TorranceCitiCABLE 4.15K subscribers 113 views 1 day ago #184 1. "It was like a loud sonic boom. 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. 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. But in the years since the 2015 explosion, residents have continued decrying MHF. The SCAQMD didnt comment on Hahns request for the organization to reexamine the viability of alternative technologies to MHF, some of which may be more commercially available than they were at the time of the vote. We cant assume we will be so lucky next time, whether that is another refinery accident, an earthquake, or God-forbid, an attack., The passage of the Supervisors motion is disappointing, she said in an email, because many of the points they make are both misleading and the projects are already in place, following agreements with several government agencies to install additional safety measures.. Homes shook in . The cause of the explosion was not known. 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. When you think about it, she said, it makes you not want to sleep at night.. Gen. Xavier Becerras office investigate how the Torrance and Wilmington refineries are able to legally operate using hydrofluoric acid. In February, a large explosion occurred at ExxonMobils refinery in Torrance, California. 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. 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. She currently lives in Inglewood. Chairperson Sutherland said, There are valuable lessons to be learned and applied at this refinery, and to all refineries in the U.S. Keeping our refineries operating safely is critical to the well-being of the employees and surrounding communities, as well as to the economy.. My first reaction was, this doesn't sound good, this doesn't look good. Additional locations: Dallas, TX | Midland, TX | Odessa, TX | Louisiana, Plant Explosion Lawyer Refinery & Pipeline, Railroad Crossing Accidents and Train Accidents, Longshore & Harbor Workers Compensation Act. The modified HF catalyst reduces acid vapor pressure sufficiently to suppress the usual flash atomization process of hydrofluoric acid, that environmental impact report said, causing most of the acid to fall to the ground as an easily controlled liquid and reduces the potential for off-site consequences of an accidental HF release.. The blast caused serious property damage to the refinery and scattered catalyst dust up to a mile away from the facility into the nearby community. At the center of that debate is the modified part of MHF. The motion also instructs county departments to review existing health and safety measures related to MHF including emergency precautions in case of an accidental leak. 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. 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. For more than seven years, members of small, local activist groups have been irresponsibly making claims against the Refinerys use of MHF, without any basis in fact, Lafayette wrote recently. 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. Caltech officials said the explosion created ground shaking that was equivalent to a magnitude-1.7 earthquake. TORRANCE TODAY is a 15-minute live news broadcast airing Monday. 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 . The blast caused serious property damage to the refinery and scattered catalyst dust up to a mile away from the facility into the nearby community. "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.". This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Had we known then what we know now, Cliff Heise said, we wouldve run, not walked home.. The explosion, which happened . In 2004, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said much the same in an environmental analysis the agency did when Valero introduced MHF at its Wilmington refinery. An ExxonMobil refinery explosion in Torrance injured two, caused a 1.7 magnitude shake and portends pain at the pumps. ExxonMobil was fined more than $500 million for workplace violations related to the blast. 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. The refinery relied on safeguards that could not be verified, and re-used a previous procedure deviation without a sufficient hazard analysis of the current process conditions. Our Manhattan Beach office is physically closed at this time. 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. As a result, unraveling the debates complexities remains challenging. Community members who may have been impacted by the explosion can call the ExxonMobil claims hotline at 844-631-2539. Since the February 2015 explosion, the refinery has experienced multiple incidents. And so, the battle over MHFs future appears set to linger on with the Board of Supervisors call for a ban the latest volley. A Philadelphia native, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in medical anthropology and global health. More Stories Drone helps. Visit our website, www.csb.gov. 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. April 8, 2018 / 2:50 PM / KCAL News. / KCAL News. Watch: Explosion reported at ExxonMobil refinery in California - CBS News State of the Union CBS News App Ukraine Crisis COVID Pandemic CBS News Live Managing Your Money Essentials Shopping. The fiercest local opponent of MHF is the Torrance Refinery Action Alliance. Tammy Khan, of the Torrance Unified School District, said the shetler-in-place order was lifted early Wednesday afternoon. The fire was reported to the South Coast Air Quality Management District and California Office of Emergency Services, police said. California workplace regulators fined ExxonMobil more than $500 million for the violations related to the explosion. 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 910 | Washington, DC 20006. 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.. Officials were not aware of their exact conditions, but witnesses said some were seriously hurt. People gathered in protest at the refinery later in the afternoon on the 2-year anniversary of an explosion at the plant that left two people injured. Its been a few years now, and there has been very little progress.. The motion the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed in mid-February asks Gov. We knew we were moving in next to a refinery it was here before we were, Cliff Heise said in an interview. The four victims were found suffering varying degrees on injuries. 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. Following the explosion, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health shut down the part of the refinery where the accident occurred. Activists held an event Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the explosion at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance that injured four workers. Edited by Rachel Barnes. "Emergency procedures have been activated to address the incident, and employees are working with the appropriate agencies," a statement by the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery said. 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. For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air. 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. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Four apartments have been damaged, two of which sustained "significant damage.". The Torrance Fire Department responded to an explosion at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery on Feb. 18, 2015. 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). But we had no idea about the danger.. The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Two others sustained minor injuries. 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. Three of them were taken to a nearby hospital, authorities said, after earlier indicating all four had been transported. Fire crews knocked down the blaze within 30 minutes. 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. And it directs L.A. County to support any new legislation that would help phase out MHF. The improvements, though, also came after sustained pressure from the community and watchdog agencies. For decades, hydrofluoric acid was a standard chemical in oil refining, serving as a catalyst during a process known as alkylation. Chairperson Sutherland said, Adoption of and adherence to a robust safety management process would have prevented these other incidents. The incident caused the refinery to be . The CSB is an independent, non-regulatory federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical incidents. Several residents noticed what they described as a larger-than-usual flame from the plant's towering flare stack. 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 AQMDs own reports warned that the ability of MHF to prevent formation of a vapor/aerosol cloud is highly uncertain and that a release of MHF will result in exposure to HF with the same health effects.. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. When released, the chemical can form a deadly, ground-hugging cloud that, in the event of a major leak, could have caused serious injury or death to many community members, according to the agency. For instance, the CSB found that during work leading up to the incident, workers violated corporate lock out tag out requirements. 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. And then the people who were right by just felt a shake, like an earthquake.. There was a "large fire explosion" at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery in Southern California on Wednesday morning, according to the Torrance Police Department. Refinery officials those from ExxonMobil, which owned the Torrance Refining Company during the explosion, and current owner PBF Energy have repeatedly pushed back on that conclusion, saying MHF doesnt pose a widespread threat.
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