EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA — A massive explosion and fire at the Chevron oil refinery rocked the South Bay on Thursday night, sending a 300-foot fireball into the sky that was visible for miles and startled residents who felt the blast shake their homes.
The blaze, which broke out around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 2, has been contained with no injuries reported to refinery staff or the public. Officials are now investigating the cause and assessing the environmental impact after air quality monitors detected a temporary spike in harmful chemicals.
"I Thought We Got Nuked"
The explosion created a moment of panic across the region. Residents from El Segundo to Redondo Beach reported hearing a loud roar and feeling their windows shake. Mark Rogers, who was playing soccer nearby, said, "I thought we got nuked or something."
Keith Mohr, a Manhattan Beach resident, said he evacuated his family after seeing the towering flames. "I didn't know if a plane crashed or there was an earthquake or both," he said, noting that he had never seen a fire of this scale in over two decades of living near the refinery.
Despite the initial fear, officials from the city of El Segundo and Chevron quickly issued statements assuring the public there was no need for evacuations. Fire crews from Chevron's own department, along with the El Segundo and LA County Fire Departments, responded immediately. The fire was declared contained by 7 a.m. Friday morning, though it was not yet fully extinguished.
Air Quality Concerns and Investigation
While initial reports indicated no air quality issues, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) later confirmed that monitors recorded a temporary spike in harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene, following the explosion. SCAQMD Executive Director Wayne Nastri stated that the pollution levels had returned to normal by early Friday morning.
The fire originated in the refinery’s hydrocracking unit, also known as the Isomax complex, which produces jet fuel and diesel. The cause of the blast is currently under investigation. Officials noted that the fuel supply to the fire must be cut off before it can be fully extinguished, after which a full damage assessment can be made.
The refinery, the largest on the West Coast, is a major supplier of Southern California's motor and jet fuel. Operations at the nearby Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) were not affected.
A Familiar Risk
The incident has reignited the debate over the safety of fossil fuel infrastructure located near dense urban communities. Environmental groups like the Center for Biological Diversity pointed to the explosion as a reminder of the dangers posed by aging facilities.
"This massive fireball shows how dangerous aging, fire-prone fossil fuel infrastructure is to our communities," said policy director Christina Scaringe.
Refinery fires are a known risk in the industrial South Bay. The same El Segundo facility experienced a significant fire in 2022, and the Marathon refinery in nearby Carson had a major blaze in 2020.
