Following Marathon Refinery Fire, Concerns About Gas Prices Emerge
CARSON (CBSLA) — After Tuesday night's massive Marathon Refinery fire, there are fears that gas prices will spike in the aftermath with drivers already bracing for pain at the pump — especially those who saw the blaze.
"Yeah, it was loud," one witness said. "The flames, fire and all the firetrucks."
Now the question was whether gas prices will rise and by how much.
"I drive a Mustang," one driver said. "So, gas prices going up is just like more money for us. It costs me almost $80 to fill my tank."
"I don't think it's going to do anything, but you don't know," the witness said. "I hope it doesn't go up. No one wants the price to go up."
A spokesperson with GasBuddy said the good news for consumers was that crude oil prices were falling over fears of the coronavirus outbreak, though wholesale prices did go up between 5 and 15 cents per gallon across the state.
"Look at the prices, you've got $3.65, $3.85," the Mustang driver said. "That's kind of ridiculous."
Brad Levi, a Vice President for Marathon, was asked about potential price impacts.
"Our priorities have been to secure the site of the incident, ensure the safety of our personnel, minimize the environmental impact and therefore we have not completed the damage assessment," Levi said. "This means that we are unable to answer specific questions about the timing of any necessary repairs or about fuel and finished product supply."
And while the refinery was operating Wednesday night, it was doing so at partial capacity.
