Massive Fire Erupts at Chevron’s Los Angeles Refinery Jet Fuel Unit
A major fire broke out Thursday night in the jet fuel production unit of Chevron’s (CVX.N) El Segundo refinery near Los Angeles, sending flames and smoke billowing from one of the largest refineries on the U.S. West Coast.
Chevron spokesperson Allison Cook said in an emailed statement that no injuries had been reported and all refinery personnel were accounted for. The cause of the blast at the El Segundo facility—located in the suburb that supplies jet fuel to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)—remains unclear. Local media reported that the blaze was brought under control by early Friday.
According to two sources, the fire started in the refinery’s Isomax 7 unit, which converts middle-distillate fuel oil into jet fuel. It is not yet known how the incident will affect the refinery’s jet fuel output. The Isomax 7 unit, along with two crude distillation units, produces jet fuel for nearby LAX.
“Currently, there is no known impact on LAX,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.
Chevron’s El Segundo refinery is the company’s second-largest in the U.S. and supplies roughly 40% of Southern California’s jet fuel and 20% of its gasoline. The facility continued burning past midnight, Cook said, with Chevron’s firefighting team working alongside emergency responders from El Segundo and Manhattan Beach.
Residents living in nearby apartment buildings across the street from the refinery were not ordered to evacuate, though Manhattan Beach residents southwest of the facility were advised to shelter in place until about 2 a.m.
Witnesses across Los Angeles reported hearing explosions and posted videos online showing fireballs lighting up the sky. A University of California–San Diego camera captured video of the blast just after 9:30 p.m. PDT (0430 GMT). The blaze turned the night sky orange, with the refinery’s safety flare also igniting.
Safety flares release tall plumes of fire when refineries cannot process hydrocarbons normally. State and federal safety agencies are expected to investigate the cause once the fire is fully extinguished.
In December 2022, a separate blaze broke out at the same refinery but was quickly contained. The El Segundo facility has a total storage capacity of about 12.5 million barrels across 150 large tanks, though sources said it was unclear how much jet fuel was in storage at the time of the fire.
U.S. WTI crude futures were up 46 cents at $60.94 a barrel by 0826 GMT Friday but were still heading for a weekly drop of more than 7%. Analysts told Reuters the fire was unlikely to have a major effect on global oil markets, though it could drive up gasoline prices in California.
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