Authorities were responding to a structure fire at an oil refinery in Carson Tuesday evening.
Massive flames could be seen burning the Marathon Petroleum Corporation refinery located at South Main Street and East Sepulveda Boulevard.
The fire sparked around 10:50 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
An explosion went off before the fire began burning in a cooling tower at the refinery, the department said.
Personnel from the refinery were keeping the flames in check through “fixed ground monitors” while working to depressurize the system, fire officials said.
Authorities secured a perimeter around the refinery and did not anticipate needing to evacuate residents as of 11:50 p.m., officials said.
All lanes on the Interstate 405 at Wilmington Avenue were shut down around 11 p.m. due to the fire but were reopened about an hour later, according to California Highway Patrol.
Marathon is the largest refinery on the West Coast with a crude oil capacity of 363,000 barrels per calendar day, according to the company’s website. It manufactures gasoline and diesel fuel, along with distillates, petroleum coke, anode-grade coke, chemical-grade propylene, fuel-grade coke, heavy fuel oil and propane, the website says.
Authorities could not immediately confirm what sparked the fire.
