When Tim Pulliam, ABC7 Eyewitness News rolled onto the scene on Friday, October 3, 2025, the sight of orange tongues licking the sky above the El Segundo refinery was unmistakable. The blaze, part of a larger Chevron refinery fireEl Segundo, sent plumes of black smoke drifting toward Los Angeles, prompting a rapid response from local fire crews and a flurry of questions about safety and fuel costs.
What sparked the blaze?
Officials are still piecing together the puzzle. Chevron has not released a formal cause, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department says investigators are combing through footage, equipment logs, and witness statements. "We’re treating it as a standard industrial incident until the data tells us otherwise," said fire chief Carlos Medina during a brief press conference.
How the fire unfolded
The first alarm sounded just after 07:15 a.m., when an employee noticed a sudden flash near Unit 3, the section of the plant that handles crude distillation. Within minutes, fire crews swarmed the area, laying down water and foam to prevent the flames from reaching nearby storage tanks. By 09:30, the fire was largely contained to a 30‑by‑40‑foot zone, and by noon the last hot spot was extinguished.
- Start time: 07:15 a.m. (2025-10-03)
- Location: Unit 3, Chevron El Segundo Refinery, El Segundo, CA
- Personnel accounted for: 100 %
- Injuries reported: None
- Cause: Under investigation
Voices from the ground
Pulliam reported that workers were "pretty tame" once the main fire line was under control, noting that crews wore respirators as a precaution even though no gas odor was detected. "We heard the sirens, we saw the smoke, but the refinery team moved fast," he said, glancing at a line of fire trucks that seemed to race against the sun.
Chevron’s spokesperson, Leah Tan, issued a statement saying the company was "deeply committed to the safety of our employees and the surrounding community." She added that the refinery would undergo a full safety audit once the investigation wraps up.
Local government officials also weighed in. Mayor Karen Lee of El Segundo praised the quick response, noting, "Our emergency services acted decisively, and I’m relieved that no one was hurt." She did, however, urge Chevron to be transparent about any findings that could affect neighborhood air quality.
Why it matters: gas prices and the regional economy
Even though the fire was contained quickly, analysts warn that any disruption at the El Segundo plant—a hub that processes roughly 200,000 barrels of crude a day—can ripple through the West Coast fuel market. "A single hour of downtime can shave off about 1% of daily supply," explained energy market analyst David Kim of Energy Insights. "That may sound tiny, but in a tight market, it can nudge gasoline prices up by 3 to 5 cents per gallon within a day."
Gas stations in nearby neighborhoods reported a modest uptick in pump prices on Friday afternoon, though the increase was within the typical daily variation. The California Energy Commission is monitoring the situation closely, and a spokesperson confirmed that any sustained impact on the state's fuel supply would trigger the state's emergency fuel allocation plan.
History of fires at the El Segundo site
Pulliam reminded viewers that this isn’t the refinery’s first brush with flames. In August 2022, a fire broke out in the same complex, lasting about two hours before crews finally doused the blaze. Back then, the incident prompted a brief shutdown of the plant’s catalytic cracker, leading to a short‑term dip in gasoline output.
Chevron invested $150 million in safety upgrades after the 2022 incident, including new fire‑suppressant systems and upgraded monitoring sensors. The current fire, however, appears to have originated in an older section of the facility that predates those upgrades, suggesting that age‑related wear remains a concern.
What’s next for the investigation?
State Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigators will join the fire department’s team later this week. Their mandate: determine if equipment failure, human error, or something else sparked the inferno. Chevron has pledged to share the final report with the public, a move that could set a precedent for greater industry transparency.
Meanwhile, community groups like the El Segundo Environmental Coalition are planning a town hall for early next month, hoping to ask pointed questions about air‑quality monitoring and long‑term mitigation strategies.
Key takeaways
In a nutshell, the emergency was serious enough to halt operations momentarily, but swift action kept injuries at zero and limited environmental fallout. The incident serves as a reminder that even well‑maintained industrial sites can face unexpected hazards, and that transparency will be key to maintaining public trust.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the fire affect gasoline prices in Southern California?
The El Segundo refinery processes about 200,000 barrels daily, so even a brief shutdown trims supply by roughly 1%. In a tight market, that can lift pump prices by 3‑5 cents per gallon within a day, though the impact is likely short‑lived if operations resume quickly.
Who is leading the fire investigation?
The primary investigation is being handled by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, with OSHA and the California Energy Commission joining later in the week to assess safety compliance and potential environmental impacts.
Were any refinery workers injured?
No. According to on‑site reports from Tim Pulliam of ABC7 Eyewitness News, all personnel were accounted for and there were no injuries reported.
What safety upgrades did Chevron make after the 2022 fire?
Chevron invested roughly $150 million in new fire‑suppression systems, upgraded pressure sensors, and introduced a modern control‑room monitoring platform to detect anomalies faster.
Will the community get air‑quality updates?
Local officials have said continuous air‑monitoring will be performed for at least 48 hours. The El Segundo Environmental Coalition is also urging the county to make real‑time data publicly accessible.
Write a comment