An investigation continued Saturday into a fire at a Phillips 66 refinery in Carson that burned more than two hours.
The fire happened about 7:30 p.m. Friday in the crude processing unit at the refinery in the 1500 block of East Sepulveda Boulevard, Phillips 66 spokesman Dennis Nuss said. It was put out at 9:30 p.m.
“While initial findings indicate that the fire began at a pump within the unit, the cause of the fire is under investigation,” Nuss said.
Refinery officials notified the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Los Angeles County Hazardous Materials and CalFire, Nuss said.
“Air monitoring was conducted during the fire and all readings have shown no offsite impact, monitoring continues,” Nuss said.
There were no evacuations and a shelter in place order for area residents was lifted shortly before 10 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
There were no injuries to responding personnel, Nuss said. “However, one person on site was taken to a local hospital with an unrelated medical issue and later released,” he said.
The fire prompted the closure of Sepulveda Boulevard in both directions between Alameda Street and Wilmington Avenue, according to the sheriff’s department.
The crude unit remained shut down for inspection and damage assessment, Nuss said. The rest of the Carson facility and the Wilmington facility remained in operation, he said.
“We do not want to speculate on how long the crude unit will be down or what impact this would have on the market,” Nuss said. “We are working to ensure that we will meet out contractual supply obligations.”