Chevron briefed El Segundo council on October refinery fire; investigation ongoing
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
Chevron told the City Council the IsoMAX unit fire on Oct. 2 is under investigation by Cal/OSHA and Chevron; company said most refinery operations continue at reduced capacity and pledged to work with cities on improved community alerts.
Chevron representatives updated the El Segundo City Council on Oct. 21 about a fire at the company’s IsoMAX unit on the evening of Oct. 2 and said the cause remains under investigation.
Brian Stock, director of the Chevron El Segundo refinery, told the council he witnessed the start of the incident and arrived at the facility minutes later. “The unified response in collaboration with our own on-site fire department enabled the fire to be safely extinguished by early the next morning,” Stock said. He publicly thanked the El Segundo Fire Department and named Chief Ali and Chief Snow for their leadership.
Stock said the IsoMAX unit has been shut down and de‑energized and “will continue to be out of service for some time as we investigate, learn, and rebuild.” He said Chevron is conducting an internal investigation while Cal/OSHA is performing an independent probe. Stock said the majority of the refinery remains in operation, supplying transportation fuels to Southern California at a reduced capacity.
City officials and residents raised questions about communication and air quality. Stock said Chevron will examine its communications and work with the cities of El Segundo and Manhattan Beach to “enhance, maintain, and fully fund a community alert and warning system.” City staff later confirmed the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) still had not issued a final report; the city manager said AQMD’s final report would be presented to council when available and asked that the city agendize a follow‑up on how the city responded and communicated during the event.
During public comment several residents said they were frustrated with a lack of timely information after the fire. One resident said they kept windows closed and wore masks because they were unsure what was in the air. Council members asked staff to return with AQMD findings and with a staff review of the city’s communications around the incident.
No cause for the fire was announced at the meeting. Stock said Chevron is cooperating with Cal/OSHA and other agencies and will apply lessons learned to strengthen safeguards.
The council did not take formal regulatory action at the meeting but directed staff to agendize AQMD’s final report and a city review of communications and response for a future meeting.