(BCN) — The Bay Space Air District started getting complaints about an odor coming from the Martinez Refinery Firm hours earlier than a hearth began earlier this month.
In an incident report posted on its web site, the district mentioned it bought its first grievance practically three hours earlier than the hearth began — at roughly 10:45 a.m. on Feb. 1 — about an “oily refinery smell” in Martinez. It obtained a second odor grievance at 11:56 a.m., additionally in regards to the refinery. It obtained a 3rd grievance at 1:05 p.m. about an “oil and gas smell.”
A message left for refinery proprietor PBF Power Inc. on Friday morning wasn’t instantly returned.
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Early experiences mentioned the refinery was experiencing flaring earlier than the hearth began.
At 1:45 p.m., the air district initiated an incident response to those complaints. At 1:49 p.m., the district obtained a Contra Costa County Neighborhood Warning System Stage 2 alert filed by MRC concerning a hearth within the gentle oil processing space of the refinery.
Contra Costa Well being mentioned on its web site that the air district’s samples taken throughout the hearth had been in step with findings from Contra Costa Well being — cancer-causing chemical compounds within the air north of the refinery had been above “historical background levels.”
Flames and smoke bellow from the Martinez Refining Firm in Martinez, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. The hearth broke out amid flaring on the oil refinery resulting in a public well being advisory from Contra Costa County Well being for residents within the Martinez, Pacheco, and Clyde areas. Flaring is the burning of extra fuel that happens throughout tools shutdowns or malfunctions. (Tony Hicks/Bay Metropolis Information)
The district took three samples on Feb. 1-2 — the primary two days of the three-day hearth — at two places: on the Marina Vista Avenue/Waterfront Highway off-ramp from northbound Interstate Freeway 680 and Waterfront Highway close to the I-680 off-ramp.
In accordance with the county well being division, which analyzed the air district’s findings, the district discovered above regular ranges of benzine (a recognized carcinogen) and 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, also called pseudocumene.
County well being officers in a report on the division’s web site mentioned the chemical compounds “may have presented a health concern during the incident.”
“The results are consistent with what county health officials observed in the field the day of the incident that triggered the shelter-in-place warning north of the refinery at 4:48 PM, which was lifted later that evening when air quality significantly improved,” CCH mentioned within the report. “Based on the chemical information provided to CCH from MRC and air sampling results, we are actively working with an independent toxicologist to determine whether any additional analyses related to air, soil or water as a result of the release are needed.”
The air district confirmed three citations on its web site that had been issued to MRC; one for seen emissions and odor brought on by the hearth, one for seen emissions and fallout exceeding requirements, and one other for not working tools as wanted.
An explosion and hearth had been reported at roughly 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, when two staff opened tools to organize for deliberate upkeep on one of many refinery’s course of items, which was shut down Jan. 30.
MRC mentioned hydrocarbon materials began to leak, inflicting staff to evacuate the realm. The fabric caught hearth, which unfold throughout the fast neighborhood.
Each staff had been transported offsite for medical analysis and launched. 4 different staff had been additionally injured, although none severely, the refinery mentioned.
County officers issued a shelter-in-place alert at 4:49 p.m. for particular neighborhoods close to the refinery, then lifted the alert about 9 p.m. Contra Costa’s Neighborhood Warning System issued a Stage 3 alert, probably the most extreme in its four-tier system, which begins at Stage 0.
Air district officers arrived on the refinery round 2:20 p.m. By 7:30 p.m., the district mentioned it obtained and responded to 30 complaints from the neighborhood about odor and smoke.The district mentioned its investigation of the hearth is ongoing and the company will present extra updates when it obtains additional info.
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