Josh Edelson / Reuters
Firefighters douse a flame at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, Calif., August 6. A fire struck the core of Chevron Corp's large Richmond refinery in Northern California on Monday evening, sending flames and a column of smoke into the air and prompting authorities to order nearby residents indoors. The fire, which authorities said was still blazing more than two and a half hours after it erupted, hit the sole crude unit at the 245,000 barrel per day (bpd) plant, which accounts for one-eighth of the state's refining capacity.
While national headlines worried over the impact that a fire at a high-production California Chevron refinery would have on gas prices, neighbors of the Richmond plant had safety and health issues on the mind.
Local residents reportedly shouted "shut it down" during a a town hall meeting on the fire Tuesday night with Chevron and city officials. Others donned gas masks and booed.
"Does my grandchild have to look forward to having cancer?" one woman asked.
The refinery's manager Nigel Hearne apologized to those in attendance and said the company is working to determining the cause of the fire. The company also offered a claims line where those impacted by the fire could request payment for health expenses and property damage.
Local officials said the fire did not raise the level of toxics in the air to unhealthy levels, but nearly 1,000 people headed to local emergency rooms.
Brady Reddall / Reuters
A plume of smoke emits from a fire that broke out at a Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California August 6.
Eric Risberg / AP
Smoke pours from a fire at the Chevron Richmond Refinery, seen behind Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, Aug. 6. It was sending smoke over the Northern California cities of Richmond and San Pablo.
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No your grandchild will be dead from starvation on the streets because obama killed all the jobs long before the cancer gets him.
So 8-9-2012 1:30 PM. Obamas death panel just terminated the first cancer patient, and it was a 40 year old women. So much for they don't exist. Lets hope she takes the scum out before she suffers there treatment caused death less than a year from now.
100% coverage cancer policy and the death panel tells the insurance not to pay, let her die. So much for you get to keep your insurance if you like it. Although maybe she only needed it in obama truths.