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Chevron refinery fire in Los Angeles

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office announced on Thursday that a fire had broken out at Chevron’s El Segundo Refinery, which is one of the largest refineries on the U.S. West Coast. A county official added that the flames were contained to a single area.

CBS reported that officers and firefighters were rushed to the refinery after hearing reports of an explosion.

Newsom's Press Office said on X that "our office is working with local and state agencies in order to... ensure public security."

CBS reported that police said they did not know of any immediate injuries, evacuations or other incidents. Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles County supervisor at the time, had stated that crews contained fire to a single area of the refinery.

The U.S. Energy Major also reported emergency flare-ups at El Segundo in a regulatory filing.

Chevron's website states that the refinery has a rated capacity of 290,000 barrels daily. Its main products include gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel. The refinery's total storage capacity in approximately 150 large tanks is 12 million barrels.

Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, said that the Los Angeles Fire Department is available to help with any requests for assistance.

She added that "there is no impact known to LAX" at this time, referring to the busy airport in the city. (Reporting and editing by Clarence Fernandez in Bengaluru, Shivani Tanna, Anmol Choubey)

(source: Reuters)