(Reuters) -A fire that broke out at Valero’s 145,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Benicia, California, has been extinguished, the company said on Monday. “All personnel are accounted for and there are no injuries. The cause of the incident is under investigation,” the company added in an emailed statement. Valero said that they continue to coordinate with state […]
U.S.
Fire at Valero’s Benicia refinery in California extinguished; no injuries reported
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(Reuters) -A fire that broke out at Valero’s 145,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Benicia, California, has been extinguished, the company said on Monday.
“All personnel are accounted for and there are no injuries. The cause of the incident is under investigation,” the company added in an emailed statement.
Valero said that they continue to coordinate with state and local authorities but did not disclose the status of the refinery operation.
Research company IIR Energy said the Benicia refinery is shut after its 77,000-bpd fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) unit suffered significant damage from the fire.
Earlier in the day, before the fire was extinguished, Benicia Fire Department said that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Solano Public Health were deploying portable air monitors in nearby communities to test for potential pollution.
In April, Valero Energy announced it would cease operations at its San Francisco-area oil refinery next year amid worries about California’s declining fuel supplies and high gasoline prices.
(Reporting by Nicole Jao in New York, Ashitha Shivaprasad, Anjana Anil, and Sherin Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Edward Tobin)