Flaring event sends massive plume of flame skyward in Martinez
MARTINEZ -- A planned, routine flare-up at a Martinez oil refinery late Friday afternoon, which became a cause for concern for some nearby residents, has concluded, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.
A Contra Costa Fire Protection District spokesperson said firefighters responded to reports of a fire or explosion at the Martinez Refinery Company late Friday afternoon, but later canceled its emergency response to the 3400 block of Pacheco Boulevard, where the refinery is located, because the large flames that were seen in the area were a result of the flare-up.
Refinery officials confirm the flare-up -- conducted to burn off deposits -- was part of an ongoing special operation. The operation, including the fire, was confined to refinery property.
The refinery has come under recent scrutiny when Contra Costa County health officials said it did not notify them of a possibly harmful 12-hour release of chemicals that started on the evening of Thanksgiving two weeks ago.
State law and county policy requires MRC to report chemical discharges to CCH within 15 minutes. Health officials said they only found out about the chemical discharges release through social media posts and when they contacted the refinery a day-and-a-half after it started.
THANKSGIVING EMISSIONS
Martinez residents found a powdery substance on their cars and around the community the day after Thanksgiving.
Samples later taken by CCH showed the "spent catalyst" substance contained higher-than-normal amounts of heavy metals such as aluminum, barium, chromium, nickel, vanadium, and zinc.The flaring was happening at the same Martinez facility that released potentially hazardous materials over Thanksgiving without immediately sending out notifications about the incident, according to health officials.
Contra Costa Health (CCH) on Nov. 30 said that the Martinez Refining Company (MRC) accidentally released "spent catalyst" beginning around 9:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving and continuing into the early morning hours of Friday.
Despite being required by law to notify CCH and the county's Community Warning System, health officials said they were not notified when the release took place.