Still, the explosion led to further safety measures, some the refineries put in voluntarily and others they did so essentially at the behest of government agencies. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Organizers estimated the crowd size at more than 400. Chairperson Sutherland said, Adoption of and adherence to a robust safety management process would have prevented these other incidents. 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. (Credit: KTLA) The blast at the refinery, which is located in the 3700 block of West . Its been a few years now, and there has been very little progress.. Had the tank ruptured, it would have caused a release of MHF, which is highly toxic. The explosion on Feb. 18, 2015, was described by federal regulators as a serious near miss.. Fill out the form below for a free case review with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers. The investigation of the Torrance explosion by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board revealed that a piece of equipment nearly crashed into a tank holding tens of thousands of pounds of modified hydrofluoric acid a highly toxic chemical used to make high-octane gasoline. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Hahn who left the agencys board in December 2019 was one of two votes opposed to accepting the proffers. "I have second thoughts about being out here right now," said resident Anthony Scales. Workers were seen boarded up the windows of the affected apartments later Sunday afternoon. Cliff and Donna Heise, for example, serve as secretary and treasurer of the TRAA, respectively. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. All communications are private and confidential. 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. I urge SCAQMD to act with urgency, said the South Bay Democrat. Four apartments have been damaged, two of which sustained "significant damage.". 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. The explosion also launched an 80,000-pound piece of equipment within feet of a structure that housed a highly volatile and toxic substance, modified hydrofluoric acid. Environmentalists and activists, though, argue that the additives levels in MHF have significantly decreased since the modified versions creation. The refineries are required to provide quarterly updates to the agency.. People, Donna Heise said, are becoming more aware if nothing else over the last seven years.. U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu said in a statement Saturday that he plans to ask the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to include Saturdays incident as part of an ongoing investigation into the problems at the trouble-plagued refinery that began two years ago. April 8, 2018 / 2:50 PM / KCAL News. 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. Passing motorists supplied supportive honks. PBF, for its part, has repeatedly said concerns from local groups against MHF were unwarranted. Gen. Xavier Becerras office investigate how the Torrance and Wilmington refineries are able to legally operate using hydrofluoric acid. in communication and M.S. They claim nothing has been done, she added, without any proof, other than their beliefs, which are incorrect and misleading.. Three dozen firefighters knocked down the blaze within a half-hour. But the consequences, according to federal investigators, could have been far worse: The explosion, investigators wrote in a report two years later, nearly released tons of modified hydrofluoric acid, potentially putting thousands in the South Bay at risk. Torrance firefighters responded to the 23500 block of Anza Avenue just before 1:20 p.m. Sunday. Liz Odendahl, Hahns spokeswoman, said in an interview that the supervisor was furious at the AQMDs decision to accept the refineries proffers. All Rights Reserved. Several contractors were injured in the Feb. 18, 2015, blast that shut down the refinery for more than a year, leading to soaring gas prices in Southern California. Our Manhattan Beach office is physically closed at this time. 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. The latest salvo in the battle over MHF came last month, when the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors called for a ban on the highly toxic chemical. MHF opponents have also expressed concerns that the refineries havent done enough to ensure the communities safety. 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. Fortunately, the explosion did not release asbestos, but the material released contained fiberglass and glass wool which can cause respiratory issues. 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. All rights reserved. Community members who may have been impacted by the explosion can call the ExxonMobil claims hotline at 844-631-2539. 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. Activists carried signs reading Congratulations PBF, zero days explosion free and All lives matter while chanting Hey, hey, ho, ho, MHF has got to go. Some said the turnout demonstrates the series of refinery disruptions has reached a crisis point. A blast was reported at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California. 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. And Torrance receives about $7.5 million annually in utility user taxes from the refinerys operation. Times staff writer Tony Barboza contributed to this report. For instance, the CSB found that during work leading up to the incident, workers violated corporate lock out tag out requirements. ExxonMobil was fined more than $500 million for workplace violations related to the blast. Four contractors at the plant suffered injuries and required medical treatment and eight workers had to be decontaminated. Other groups including the refinerys unions and local businesses feared the potential economic fallout if the refineries were forced to transition to a safer alternative. In February, a large explosion occurred at ExxonMobil's refinery in Torrance, California. 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. For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Since the February 2015 explosion, the refinery has experienced multiple incidents. Kim Baldonado, Patrick Healy, Jason Kandel, and Tena Ezzeddine contributed to this report. Several residents noticed what they described as a larger-than-usual flame from the plant's towering flare stack. 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 910 | Washington, DC 20006. The shaking was felt primarily in the immediate vicinity of the refinery, according to Caltech. But we had no idea about the danger.. April 8, 2018 / 2:50 PM Four people were injured in an explosion at an apartment building in Torrance Sunday afternoon, officials said. California workplace regulators fined ExxonMobil more than $500 million for the violations related to the explosion. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news. Those calls for a ban remain. Refineries are not supposed to have explosions. Three were treated and released. 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. 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. If you or a loved one were injured or burned in a plant or refinery fire, contact ourplant and refinery accident attorneysfor a free consultation at 1-888-603-3636 or by Clicking Here. The four victims were found suffering varying degrees on injuries. The governors office confirmed they received the request, but declined further comment. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Thousands of people could have been harmed if the MHF had dispersed beyond the Torrance refinery in 2015, the CSB report said. Anza Avenue had been closed for a few hoursas emergency personnel responded. When you think about it, she said, it makes you not want to sleep at night.. The Torrance Fire Department responded to an explosion at the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery on Feb. 18, 2015. Local battle over toxic chemical at Torrance,, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Local battle over toxic chemical at Torrance, Wilmington refineries continues, Baby girl Winter of Lake Arrowhead is born amid raging blizzard, Texas congressman who broke with GOP is censured, Biden expected to tighten rules on US investment in China, More Iranian schoolgirls sickened in suspected poisoning wave, explosion that rocked the Torrance Refinery, according to a 2018 report from the Torrance refinery defending its use of the chemical, protests and intensified public pressure from such activists, Heres why AQMD committee chose enhanced safety measures over a ban on MHF at refineries in Wilmington and Torrance, LA public health official urges phasing out MHF chemical at Torrance, Wilmington refineries, Activists call for state investigation into use of toxic chemical at two South Bay refineries, Court rules ExxonMobil must give feds crucial data on 2015 Torrance refinery explosion, Explosion at Torrance ExxonMobil refinery injures 4; spike in gas prices expected, Alpine Village shopkeepers get confirmation: theyre being evicted, San Pedro Fish Market bids a sad goodbye to legacy location, Alpine Village, for decades a German American hub, faces unknown future, Appeals court ruling in Lunada Bay Boys case could make cities liable for surf localism, Gracie Abrams behind Good Riddance message in Los Angeles sky, Tax filing deadline moves to mid-October for most Californians, 6 suspects wanted for holding up armored cars for $550,000-plus in Hawthorne, LA and Inglewood, California weighs $360,000 in reparations to eligible Black residents, Hermosa Beach Police arrest 2 men suspected in shooting attempt, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. The motion the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed in mid-February asks Gov. 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. TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA Just before 9 a.m. on February 18, the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, California exploded, shaking the surrounding community with the force of a 1.7 magnitude earthquake, and sending a quarter ton of sulfur oxide gas into the atmosphere. Si quieres personalizar tus opciones, haz clic en Gestionar configuracin de privacidad. Nosotros, Yahoo, somos parte de la familia de marcas de Yahoo. All rights reserved, Los Angeles County Holds Stable COVID-19 Hospitalization Rate, Tax Deadlines Extended to October for Most Californians Due to Storms, Check Your Pockets: These Coins Can Be Worth Up To $24,000, Glendale Neighborhood Frustrated After an Illegal Hostel Moves In, Road Rage Incident Kicks Off Pursuit, Carjacking, and Weapon Fired Out Window in Wild Chase, NASA Images Show Southern California Mountains Before and After Winter Storm. Although there are alternative alkylation technologies under development, Lafayette said, they still need to be proven to be safe, mechanically reliable, and commercially viable at the scale of the Torrance Alkylation Unit.. ET), but there was no . We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Torrance school officials confirmed that staff and students sheltered in place due to possible air quality issues. But at the time, theyd never heard of MHF and didnt think much of it. 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. 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. "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.".

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