Latest Refinery Fire Has Torrance Neighbors On Edge
TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) — Crews battled a stubborn fire at the Torrance Refinery Company facility on Tuesday afternoon.
The fire started at about 4:30 p.m. in what the refinery spokesperson calls a process area. The Torrance Fire Department and the refinery's fire fighters got it under control a couple hours later.
The Haroon family lives right across the street and they rushed inside when they heard about it.
"I closed all the windows, shut all the doors and just kind of stayed inside," Saiyada Haroon said.
The Haroon's were in the area for the February 2015 explosion when debris narrowly missed a container that held hydrochloric acid. Two workers were hurt. The refinery was closed over a year for repairs.
The refinery was formerly owned by Exxon Mobil but in the summer it was sold to a New Jersey company and is now called the Torrance Refining Company.
Even with new owners, Ali Shah says he's still worried for his family. "My wife, my kids, everybody's scared right now," Shah said. The Haroons say they are moving soon for other reasons, but they say after this latest fire, it can't happen soon enough. Shah says he and his family would like to move as well.
No cause of the fire was reported and the facility is back up and running.