Shelter-in-place order lifted for Martinez refinery fire; multiple injuries reported

MARTINEZ, Calif. (KGO) -- A shelter-in-place order for residents near the Martinez Refining Co. was lifted Saturday night after a fire that injured at least six people.

The sirens coming from the Martinez Refining Company on Saturday evening were to warn residents to shelter in place.

"Any smoke that burns any combustible element is going to be toxic at some point. We are trying to ascertain what exactly is in the stream of smoke," said Battalion Chief Bob Atlas with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

Atlas said around 1:40 p.m., the fire district got their initial report of black smoke coming from the refinery. That grew to a massive fire that promoted shelter-in-place orders for parts of Martinez and Pacheco.

Six people suffered minor injuries. Two were treated at the facility and released. Four were taken to local hospitals. Only one remains in the hospital under supervision.

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A unified command was set up between the company, the fire district and the City of Martinez to oversee the firefight. Other fire departments were called to assist with the coordinated response and keep the fire contained to the 860-acre refinery, the company said.

Several roads were closed including Marina Vista Avenue, from Interstate Highway 680 to Court Street, and Shell Avenue from Marina Vista Avenue to Pacheco Boulevard, the company said.

At the height of the fire, Contra Costa's Community Warning System issued a Level 3 alert, the most severe in its four-tier system, which begins at Level 0.

"Residents in portions of Martinez, north of the refinery should shelter in place due to impacts from smoke," according to the notification system.

"Please go inside, close all windows and doors, turn off all heaters, air conditioners and fans," the health service urged residents. "If not using the fireplace, close fireplace dampers and vents, and cover cracks around doors and windows with tape or damp towels."

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Atlas said that as of 9 p.m., the fire was greatly reduced, and the shelter-in-place was lifted.

"Currently, we are getting to the root cause of the actual leak itself. It hasn't been completely shut off yet. But we are closer to getting the entire value system shut down," Atlas said.

"Around 2 o'clock this incident happened. At 4:15 p.m., the sirens started going off. I don't know why they didn't go off sooner to alert the community," said Marcial Barrera, Jr., who lives less than a mile away from the refinery.

Barrera used to work at the Chevron refinery, so he understands how a refinery works. His big concern right now is not knowing what was released in the fire.

"That's very concerning because that is where all the gases go through the pipes. And if some incident like today happened, it's a bad situation and dangerous situation," said Berrera. Jr.

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He is also concerned about the impacts the release could have on nearby streams and creeks.

"That is very concerning because I don't know if that's drinking water or what," said Barrera Jr.

The Martinez Refining Company, or MRC, manufactures gas, diesel and jet fuel. It's one of the largest employers in Contra Costa County. In October, it agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle allegations of Clean Water Act violations linked to the refinery.

Brandon Matson, public information officer for MRC, said there was construction being done onsite. But, he said it is still too early to know if that contributed to the fire. However, he did acknowledge there was a leak.

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"What happens in hydrocarbon combusting, that means there was a leak they were coming out from and ignited. But again, we will have to figure out the root cause of the incident was," Matson said.

Contra Costa County health officials said they will continue to monitor air quality overnight until they get an all-clear. County officials said they will be working with the refinery to determine the cause of the fire.

A public health advisory remained in effect for all people with respiratory sensitivity in Martinez, parts of Pacheco and Clyde due to smoke from the fire.

To view county alerts see cwsalerts.com. For information on county Hazmat responses see cchealth.org/hazmat.

Bay City News contributed to this report.