Chevron Refinery Fire in Richmond, California (Video)

by NowPublic Staff | August 6, 2012 at 06:22 pm

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Explosions Lead to Richmond Chevron Refinery Fire: August 6, 2012

A series of explosions at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California sent up a plume of smoke visible throughout the Bay Area. The Chevron refinery is still burning; it's not clear what caused the explosion.

The Richmond BART station is currently closed, and a shelter-in-place warning in effect, which means that the air near the burning refinery is not safe to breathe.

If you live in Richmond, North Richmond and San Pablo, stay inside and close all windows and doors. Turn off fans and air conditioners, and make sure that your fireplace dampers are closed. Cover up any door or window gaps with with tape or wet towels.

Live Video of Richmond Chevron Refinery Fire

You can see eyewitness video of the Chevron refinery fire below. Witnesses said they heard between five and seven explosions, beginning at around 6:40pm.

The Chevron refinery in Richmond provides 1/8 of California's crude processing capacity.

A Chevron spokesman apologized for "inconveniencing [their] neighbors", which is quite the euphemism.