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Chevron presents findings on Oct. 2 ISMAX fire; city presses for faster alerts
Summary
Chevron told the El Segundo City Council it traced the Oct. 2, 2025 ISMAX-unit fire to a localized corrosion and pipe-thinning failure, has replaced the piping with higher-alloy material and committed to fund improved community alerting; council members pressed for clearer, faster communications and regulatory briefings.
Chevron presented its internal investigation of an Oct. 2, 2025 fire at the company's El Segundo refinery and answered council questions at the March 3 meeting.
Jeff Wilson, Chevron's corporate and government affairs manager, introduced Karen Forth Huber, the refinery's operations manager, who said technical experts determined a localized section of piping at the top of an ISMAX furnace thinned and failed because of a specific low-sulfur sulfidation corrosion combined with flow geometry that increased velocity and turbulence. "Most importantly, today we know the cause of the failure and we know how to prevent it from happening again," Huber said.
Huber said automated emergency shutdown systems activated within 45 seconds, refinery fire crews and mutual-aid departments were on scene within minutes, safety flares operated as designed, and the blaze was extinguished the following morning. She told council the failing piping segment has been replaced with a higher-alloy material and similar furnace locations across the refinery have been inspected; the company reported it replaced roughly 4,000 feet of piping in the affected circuit.
Chevron said it completed its internal investigation and submitted its report to Cal/OSHA. The company also committed to share findings with the South Coast Air Quality Management District and to provide briefings to regulators. Huber said Chevron will post the report and related briefings for public review.
Council members pressed Chevron on the timeline of response and on communications to residents. During questioning, Chevron said it had activated an automated depressurization sequence within 45 seconds of observing the fire and that local fire departments arrived within 10 to 12 minutes. The company said it operates 12 open-path fence-line air monitors and that both Chevron and South Coast air district mobile monitoring during the incident showed no exceedances of public-health thresholds.
Council members and staff emphasized the need for faster, clearer community alerts. Wilson and Huber said Chevron is working with El Segundo and neighboring cities to integrate multiple notification channels and committed to fully fund personnel, equipment and services for improved alerting. They also said they hoped to resume fit-for-purpose community tours and to do more public education about flaring and plant visual cues.
Why it matters: The incident was highly visible to residents and prompted questions about air quality and emergency notification. Council members sought assurances that the company's technical fixes are comprehensive and that residents will receive timely, actionable guidance in future incidents.
What happens next: Chevron said it has submitted its internal report to Cal/OSHA and expects the regulator's report soon; the company will provide the city with materials to post and follow up on the emergency-communications improvements.
