MOSCOW (MRC) -- Large flames and a cloud of smoke can be seen over the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California. Company and fire officials say the flare is no cause for alarm.
The blaze, which is visible for miles, has caused uncertainty within the local community. Many citizens took to social networks to try and find out more information about whether the refinery was on fire.
Local residents said the smell coming from the refinery was not pleasant.
Contra Costa County health officials said in a statement on Twitter that a hazardous materials team is on scene monitoring, but that residents were not being advised to shelter in place.
Chevron, which owns the refinery, says the flames were caused by flaring and that the situation was under control. The oil company released a statement saying:
“We had a process unit that needed to be depressurized, creating a visible flare. The flare is part of our safety system which enables to safely shut down a unit,” CBS reports.
The refinery in the Bay Area has been the scene of multiple fires in the past. In 2012, local residents were told to stay indoors after hazardous material was released into the atmosphere following a blaze at the oil facility.
One local resident, Julius Bailey, said his throat had started burning and his eyes began itching. After seeing a doctor, he said, "They told me I'm not going to die, but it sure feels pretty serious,” according to CBS.
There were no fatalities following that fire in 2012, though one worker required medical treatment for burns to his wrist.
In August 2013, the city of Richmond filed a law suit against Chevron for alleged negligence as a result of the 2012 fire. They said the oil company was guilty of “willful and conscious disregard of public safety.”
The local authority also said that the fire at the facility was the result of "years of neglect, lax oversight and corporate indifference to necessary safety inspection and repairs," as reported by CBS.
The Chevron refinery is particularly big and important to the West Coast market, said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service.
It produces about 150,000 barrels of gasoline a day – 16 percent of the region's daily gasoline consumption of 963,000 barrels, he said, AP reported.
MRC