Contra Costa health and fire officials detail response to February 1 Martinez refinery fire; county opens investigations

Board of Supervisors members in Contra Costa County received an update Feb. 4 from County Health and local fire agencies on a Feb. 1 fire at Martinez Refining Company that produced large smoke plumes, triggered a health advisory and prompted shelter‑in‑place sirens for neighborhoods north and northeast of the refinery.

County Health Director Anna Roth and Deputy Health Director Matt Kaufman described a rapid health‑department response that included airborne monitoring, an immediate advisory for people with respiratory sensitivity and ongoing field sampling. "We immediately activated our response system," Kaufman said. "We sent 13 scientists, engineers [and] leadership. We deployed public information ... and started continuous monitoring." Kaufman said county monitors recorded levels of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and PM2.5 that were “basically the same as normal background” in early samples, but he and the health officer cautioned that laboratory results for some volatile organic compounds take days.

Why the incident matters

The county’s account highlighted both the speed of the response and remaining uncertainties: officials said county and refinery teams are awaiting the refinery’s 72‑hour incident report and laboratory results from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District before drawing conclusions about long‑term health risks.

"We have not seen reports from local emergency departments about respiratory patients associated with this incident," said County Health Officer Ori Zavelli. "Four people were transported from the scene with non‑critical injuries and released. In terms of the long‑term risk, we don't know yet. We need to know what…