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 was burning." Zavelli said the 72‑hour report was expected later Feb. 4, and that air‑district lab analyses of VOCs typically require several days.

What happened and how the response unfolded

County officials said they were notified by the refinery that it had initiated a Level 2 event at about 1:49 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, which triggered an initial health advisory for people with respiratory sensitivities. As crews fought the blaze and water application cooled the flame column—causing smoke to remain lower to the ground—officials and unified command raised the incident to Level 3 and activated outdoor warning sirens in affected neighborhoods. Kaufman said the shelter‑in‑place was lifted at about 9:12 p.m. after air‑monitoring data indicated it was safe to do so, though a health advisory remained in effect while monitoring continued.

Aaron McAllister, deputy fire chief for Contra Costa fire partners, said local and regional industry mutual‑aid teams joined refinery industrial firefighters and Confire personnel to bring the fire under control. "We provided coordination and oversight," McAllister said, adding that multiple agencies provided high‑flow water, foam and experienced crews. Confire and other agencies set up gross decontamination as needed and transported patients. "The training and the relationships ... is what got this fire under control," said Martinez Refining Company public information officer Brandon Matson.

The refinery’s statement and next steps

Matson, speaking as the refinery’s incident public information officer, apologized for the incident and said the company was cooperating with regulators and community leaders. He said company leaders believe the fire began shortly after two workers were opening equipment in preparation for planned maintenance on a Cat Feed Hydrotreater and that a hydrocarbon leak ignited during that work. "Those workers immediately evacuated," Matson said. He added that refinery leadership remains in incident mode and that a claims telephone line and a public phone bank remain available to residents.

Regulatory and independent reviews

County counsel and staff told the board the state law and the county’s Industrial Safety Ordinance give the county authority to pursue an independent investigation. County counsel said officials are already preparing contracts to retain independent investigators and that the county would apply lessons learned from prior investigations of refinery incidents. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District reported that it had issued two notices of violation to Martinez Refining Company for public nuisance, excessive smoke and soot fallout and that its investigation remains ongoing.

What residents asked and what officials said

At the meeting, supervisors and the mayor of Martinez said they had received many calls and social‑media reports from residents about visibility, odors and whether to evacuate. Supervisor Chanel Scales Preston, who was on‑site during much of the incident, described field conditions and urged better, faster public communication between agencies.

"People were worried they should evacuate," Scales Preston said. "The confusion between Level 2 and Level 3 messages caused a lot of alarm. We need to work on communication so residents know whether to stay indoors or leave." Mayor Brianne Zorn and other elected and city officials said Martinez staff had stepped in to provide additional public outreach and urged the county and refinery to remain transparent.

County clarifications and guidance

County Health officials urged residents who experienced acute symptoms during the incident to seek care and reminded the public that the best way to report odors or potential exposures during an incident is to call 911 so dispatchers can route information to the appropriate response teams. Health staff said water testing in Martinez was under way and that the county would assess whether soils, gardens or other media were affected once laboratory results identified what burned.

Investigations and oversight

Officials said the county will receive the refinery’s 72‑hour report, will coordinate with the Air District and will pursue an independent county review under the Industrial Safety Ordinance. County counsel said the county is seeking independent investigators and will move more quickly than during the prior Catalyst release investigation. "We did learn a lot from that process," county counsel said.

Ending

Supervisors said they would schedule Industrial Safety Ordinance committee follow‑ups and community town halls once preliminary reports were complete. Board Chair Candace Anderson and supervisors urged residents to use official county channels—cwsalerts.com and Contra Costa Health—for the most current advisories and said the county will brief the public again as investigators provide new information.

Quotes attributed in this article come from speakers at the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting on Feb. 4, 2025. Direct quotations are from the transcript of that meeting.