Richmond – Officials said on Monday that an unspecified equipment problem at the Chevron Refinery was sparking the fire.
Shortly before 1:10 p.m., reports of visible plumes of smoke above the refinery made multiple posts on social media.
Anyone knows what’s going on in Richmond in relation to this smoke coming from the northwest # Richmond (Maybe near Chevron?) pic.twitter.com/u2tjx2xHve
Kenya Wheeler (kenyaw) November 2, 2020
We must begin to warn the surrounding community about what is called “ignition”. Every time it does, Richmond residents panic and think Chevron will explode. Get it together Embed a Tweet
– Miku (YouKnowMico) November 2, 2020
Richmond Chevron Refinery Shines Once Again 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/216kE8XgX0
– Chrishelle Horch (@KrishelleMH) November 2, 2020
In a statement before 2 p.m., Chevron spokesman Brian Hoppinger said the combustion activity was due to a disturbance in the processing unit.
Hubinger said it was a Level 1 warning, one of the lowest on the county community alert system scale, without sheltering in place.
An email copy of this alert described the severity of the accident as high, including the release of sulfur dioxide, and indicated that wind speeds were from the north at 10 mph.
Via Richmond Mayor Tom Pat pic.twitter.com/Qe4ILA6afM
Chris Treadway (@christreadway) November 2, 2020
According to reports from this news organization, the refinery has seen multiple burn reports in the past year, including two consecutive days in February as well as the August episode.
Anyone with questions can call the general refinery number at 510-242-2000, ask about specific noises or odors at 510-242-2127, email richmondrefineryinfo@chevron.com or go to www.fenceline.org/ richmond to get real-time air quality data.
Call George Kelly at 408-859-5180.
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