Plumes of smoke towered above a Chevron oil refinery in southern California on Thursday following reports of an explosion, according to US media and footage circulating on social media.
Video clips shared online by residents in El Segundo, a coastal suburb a few miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport, showed a massive fireball rising from the refinery with a loud, extended rumble.
El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel said authorities have not received any reports of injuries, according to local TV station K-CAL News just before 11 pm (0600 GMT).
The cause of the fire remained unclear, Pimentel was quoted as saying.
LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell told the outlet that firefighter crews contained the blaze to one area of the refinery and that residents did not have to evacuate.
“It has been contained and there is no cause for alarm for El Segundo or the surrounding areas,” Mitchell said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom “has been briefed on the incident at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery in Los Angeles County,” his press office said on X.
“Our office is coordinating in real time with local and state agencies to protect the surrounding community and ensure public safety,” it added.
The flames died down considerably in the hour after the explosion was first reported around 0430 GMT, according to the Los Angeles Times, but flames and smoke remained visible for miles across the South Bay.
The El Segundo facility is the largest oil refinery on the US West Coast, processing more than 276,000 barrels of crude per day, Chevron said on its website.
AFP has contacted Los Angeles authorities for comment.
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AFP