A shelter-in-place order was issued for the area around the Tesoro refinery in the Carson and Wilmington area after a sulfur tank rupture left a plume towering above the facility Friday afternoon.
A “rupture” occurred about 1 p.m. at a sulfur tank in the Wilmington portion of the refinery, a Tesoro Corp. spokesman said in a statement.Los Angeles County firefighters were called to the refinery — near Alameda and East 223rd streets — about 1:20 p.m.
Debris was scattered on the ground around the tank, which appeared heavily damaged, aerial video from Sky5 showed.
“An emergency response team at the refinery is responding to the situation,” the statement read. “At this time we have not detected any harmful levels of toxins.”
Evacuations were in place for the area a half-mile around, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Ramos with the Carson Station. A lieutenant with the station later said the department was reassessing the size of the evacuation area.All personnel near the explosion have been accounted for and no injuries were reported, according to the statement.
Then the department announced it had issued a shelter-in-place order for a quarter-mile radius around the refinery.
The facility’s own fire department is the primary responding agency, county fire Inspector Richard Licon said.The Sheriff’s Department said Alameda Street was closed from 223rd Street to Sepulveda Boulevard. People were urged to avoid the area.
The Tesoro Los Angeles Refinery has addressed at 2350 E. 223rd St. in Carson and 2101 East Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington. It spans Carson and the northern reaches of the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The cause of the incident was under investigation, Tesoro said.