The Bay Area Air District sent mutliple notices of violation to the Valero Refining Company this week in connection to a fire Monday at the Benicia refinery.
Smoke from the fire had an impact on air quality in surrounding communities, resulting in two excessive emissions violations as well as a public nuisance violation, the air district said.
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WATCH HEREThe air district received 10 complaints from the Benicia and Martinez communities, and its analysis showed elevated levels of pollutants, including fine particulate matter, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and alkanes.
The smoke plume affected ground level areas in a narrow band southwest of the refinery as far south as Alameda, the air district said.
The fire and resulting smoke triggered a shelter-in-place order for roughly 90 minutes. No injuries were reported.
Last month, Valero Energy Corp. announced that it had submitted notice to the California Energy Commission of its intention "to idle, restructure, or cease refining operations" at the Benicia refinery by April 2026.
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