Martinez

Contra Costa County lifts shelter in place order triggered by Martinez refinery fire

Six people reported injured related to this fire, four people hospitalized

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Contra Costa County officials have lifted a shelter-in-place order that was placed after a fire erupted Saturday at the Martinez Refining Co., injuring at least six people.

A public health advisory remains in effect for all of Martinez, parts of Pacheco, and Clyde due to smoke from the fire, Contra Costa County Health Services said on the Community Warning System website. Residents with respiratory sensitivity are encouraged to stay inside until the advisory is lifted.

Four people were taken to a hospital for treatment and three were released, said Ted Leach, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District captain. Two others were treated at the scene and released, he said.

People in the area could see a flare going at the refinery after the fire began Saturday. An MRC spokesperson confirmed that the flare had not been on during the fire and was used after the fire to combust hydrocarbons released from the fire.

An update on the health department's Facebook page said the Martinez Refining Co., a subsidiary of PBF Energy Inc., which owns the facility, alerted the county to a fire that broke out during flaring at 1:47 p.m.

Flaring is the burning of excess gas that occurs during equipment shutdowns or malfunctions.

The Martinez Refining Company and the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said they each had firefighters responding to and fighting this fire.

Other fire departments were called to assist with the coordinated response and keep the fire contained to the 860-acre refinery, the company said.

Martinez Refining Company posted early Sunday that firefighters got the fire under control and remained on site to respond to the incident.

"Smoke from the fire contains fine particulate matter and other harmful pollutants," the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said in a news release. "Exposure to smoke is unhealthy, even for short periods of time. If possible, stay inside with windows and doors closed until smoke levels subside. Set car vent systems to re-circulate to prevent outside air from moving inside. The use of indoor air filtration can also help reduce smoke exposure."

For several hours Saturday afternoon and evening, loud sirens blared every half hour across Martinez, alerting residents to the shelter-in-place order. Several roads were closed during the peak of the response to the fire, including Marina Vista Avenue, from Interstate Highway 680 to Court Street, and Shell Avenue from Marina Vista Avenue to Pacheco Boulevard.

Just before 5 p.m., Contra Costa's Community Warning System issued a Level 3 alert, the most severe in its four-tier system, which begins at Level 0. The alert was then lowered to Level 2 at around 9 p.m. when the county determined that air quality had improved.

"Please go inside, close all windows and doors, turn off all heaters, air conditioners and fans," the county urged residents during the shelter-in-place warning. "If not using the fireplace, close fireplace dampers and vents, and cover cracks around doors and windows with tape or damp towels."

County health officials said while most people would not be affected by the conditions, eye, skin, nose, or throat irritation may be possible for some people. Anyone experiencing irritation was advised to rinse the affected area with water.

"I can feel it in my lungs a little bit, so it’s not good to breathe," said John Gandy, who lives in Martinez near the refinery. Gandy also said he has worked at the refinery in the past as a contractor.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District confirmed to NBC Bay Area that there have been 28 complaints about the incident, including two about the odor before the fire even started.

NBC Bay Area asked Martinez Refining Company if it had received these complaints.

"I’m unaware of any of those odor complaints, when we do our root cause analysis all of those things will come out," said Brandon Matson, with MRC.

Matson added that the company is looking into what could have caused the fire.

"On behalf of Martinez Refining Company, we apologize for this incident, we know we disrupted many in the community tonight, and we will be doing a thorough investigation on it," Matson said in a press conference Saturday night.

As huge plumes of black smoke could be seen for miles in the area on Saturday, residents said they want answers.

"We don’t want to hear we’re sorry, we want answers," said Martinez resident Justin Gomez.

Gomez said his two young children were brought to tears when they saw the flames of the fire out their windows.

Gomez is part of a group of neighbors who've been speaking out against what they say are concerning incidents at the refinery since 2020, when PBF Energy bought it.

"Until they bought the refinery, nothing ever happened that impacted our family," Gomez said.

Martinez resident John Gandy agreed.

"I’ve been here 20 years and I’ve never seen that, so things have gotten pretty bad for that to happen," Gandy said.

Saturday was the latest in a string of incidents and violations at the Martinez refinery.

Two of the largest included the release of petroleum coke dust. Back in November of 2022, a fine layer of the sooty substance from the refinery, blanketed the surrounding neighborhood.

A similar incident happened in July of 2023 that prompted civil action from Contra Costa County as well as a lawsuit from residents.

For more information about the public health impacts of this incident, visit cchealth.org/hazmat.

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