Massive blaze erupts at Chevron’s refinery in El Segundo

A massive blaze erupted Thursday night at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery that prompted road closures and shelter-in-place orders.

Details are limited and it’s unclear when exactly the fire started or what caused it. Flames could be seen burning high into the sky from UCSD’s AlertCalifornia’s cameras.

The refinery, located at 324 West El Segundo Boulevard, has its own fire department which was able to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to other areas of the industrial site using remote control water lines to douse the flames.

In an emergency alert, El Segundo officials said Rosecrans Avenue from Vista Del Mar to Pacific Coast Highway, and Pacific Coast Highway from Rosecrans Avenue to El Segundo Boulevard were closed while fire suppression efforts were underway.

While no evacuations were ordered, officials in Manhattan Beach issued a shelter-in-place order, urging residents to keep their doors and windows closed and bring pets inside.

Officials with Pepperdine University, which has a west L.A. campus a little more than five miles away from the refinery, said they were monitoring the incident, and added that flames were visible from the university’s Malibu campus more than 20 miles away.

An estimated 1,500 employees work at the refinery, though no injuries were reported.

“I’ve been briefed on the fire in El Segundo outside of our city limits and I’ve also spoken with Supervisor Holly Mitchell,” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said on X. “LAFD stands at the ready to assist with any mutual aid request. There is no known impact to LAX at this time. We will continue to monitor the situation.”

Governor Gavin Newsom also released a statement on X, saying state officials were aware of the blaze.

“Our office is coordinating in real time with local and state agencies to protect the surrounding community and ensure public safety,” the statement read.

At around 10:45 p.m., the flames immediately extinguished, though just before 11 p.m., the blaze once again erupted in the same area.

The fire was still active at around 11:30 p.m. when Sky5 was forced to leave the scene.