A massive explosion at an oil refinery in Los Angeles triggered a huge fireball that sent shockwaves through the city.
The blast took place just outside LAX airport and was seen for miles across the city after it ignited at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, police said.
Firefighters arrived to the scene at around 9:35pm local time, several minutes after people in surrounding areas reported hearing a loud blast.
Authorities said they have not received reports of any injuries. No evacuation orders were in place early Friday, but residents were instructed to stay indoors and shut their windows.
The El Segundo neighborhood is located just south of LAX. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass assured travelers that there was ‘no known impact’ to the international hub.
Officials also told the Daily Mail that flights weren’t currently affected.
El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel praised the quick response to the fire while saying he was ‘very concerned’ by the incident.
‘We were able to respond to the Chevron fire immediately, our station is about a .25 miles away from the gates of Chevron,’ Pimentel said. ‘Obviously, we are very concerned, and there is a lot of investigative work to be done to see what has happened.’
A huge fire has broken out at the Chevron refinery in the El Segundo neighborhood in Los Angeles, according to police
Firefighters spray water on the fire, which at that point rose several stories high
Patrons at a nearby Top Golf stare at the dangerously close fire, with some of them opting to shoot videos
Eventually, most people left the Top Golf and began running into the parking lot to the safety of their vehicles
The night sky could be seen engulfed by bright orange flames with smoke billowing toward the sky as witnesses recounted hearing a ‘sudden steady roar.’
One captivating image posted on social media showed firefighters atop a ladder spraying water down on the flames, which were several stories high at that point.
In one video, patrons at a nearby Top Golf were transfixed by the fire, with many of them recording it with their phones.
Their curiosity turned into outright terror once they realized just how huge the blaze was, leading them to run into the parking lot to get to their cars.
The Torrance Police Department told the Daily Mail units are currently at the facility, which spans two-square-miles and supplies more than 40 percent of jet fuel and more than 20 percent of motor vehicle fuel across Southern California.
The refinery is the largest on the West Coast and is capable of producing 276,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
There are 1,000 employees, along with 1,000 contractors on any given day. The refinery also has its own fire department staffed with 24 full-time firefighters.
Live feeds of the blaze show the fire continuing to burn two hours after igniting.
This camera captured the moment of the explosion at the oil facility
Resident reported first hearing and seeing the blast at around 9.30pm local time. It’s unclear what caused the explosion
An aerial view of the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, which is located just south of LAX
Depending on the extent of the damage, fuel costs could increase for Americans, especially Californians, who already pay some of the highest prices at the pump.
Julian Reese, 13, said he and his father felt a blast before running outside to see the fire, the Los Angeles Times reported.
When the explosion happened, Mark Rogers was playing soccer as part of his adult league at Aviation Park, just a few miles away from the refinery.
‘I thought we got nuked or something,’ Rogers said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the incident, according to a statement on social media.
‘Our office is coordinating in real time with local and state agencies to protect the surrounding community and ensure public safety,’ the statement continued.
This same facility had a fire on November 8, 2022, which took multiple fire crews about two hours to fully extinguish. A pump failure caused a blaze on October 18, 2017, as well.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .