Crews extinguish refinery fire

by The Associated Press

Firefighters extinguished a blaze in a “coker unit” at the BP Petroleum-ARCO oil refinery in Carson, Calif., early in the morning Aug. 24.

The blaze, which sent plumes of smoke into the night sky, was reported to the Los Angeles County Fire Department about 11:20 p.m. Aug. 23 by a motorist driving along a nearby freeway, said fire dispatcher Ed Pickett.

Firefighters from the ARCO Refinery Fire Department and the county had the fire extinguished by 12:30 a.m. Aug. 24, said county fire inspector Mike Brown.

No injuries were reported.

Hazardous materials specialists were dispatched to the scene to monitor emissions from the blaze. The specialists were measuring wind speed and direction to ensure that nearby residents were not exposed to any harmful elements, Brown said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. A coker unit is where petroleum coke, a type of coal, is burned in the process of making gasoline. A blaze in April 2001 at the Tosco refinery in Carson also began in the coker unit.

Carson is about 15 miles south of Los Angeles.