Crane collapse at ExxonMobil in Torrance injures 3, cause undisclosed

A 300-ton crane collapsed at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance Monday moing hitting a piece of equipment, slightly hurting three workers, and causing flammable-vapor releases that were quickly subdued, officials said.

The incident came as the company is completing final repairs to make the refinery fully functioning before ownership is transferred to PBF Energy, which agreed to purchase the plant last year for $537.5 million as long as all damage is repaired from a February 2015 explosion there. Despite Monday’s incident, the sale is still expected to be finalized this summer, according to an ExxonMobil statement.

Torrance Fire Department was called to the refinery, located at 190th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard, at about 9:30 a.m., said Battalion Chief Bob Millea. There, 27 firefighters assisted ExxonMobil officials in suppressing escaped flammable vapors and hydrocarbons. Within two hours, the incident was described as “static” and firefighters left.

“There is no active leak at this time (and) no off-site impact,” Millea said late Monday moing. “Initially, some flammable gas was suppressed by water monitors.”

Three injured workers attended to by paramedics did not need hospital treatment.

Cause undisclosed

ExxonMobil officials refused to say what caused the incident, what piece of equipment the crane was working on when it collapsed, or what was damaged besides the crane.

“We will conduct a thorough investigation of the cause of the event,” ExxonMobil officials said in a written statement, adding that flares were used to “safely stabilize operations” after the collapse.

Chemical bu-offs, or flares, can be triggered by an unexpected stoppage in refinery operations or mechanical failures, among other things. They are used to reduce the toxicity of chemicals released into the air during petroleum refining.

The February 2015 explosion was caused by faulty equipment that allowed hydrocarbons to escape from the fluid catalytic cracker unit into a pollution-control device called the electrostatic precipitator. The back-flow generated an explosion that injured four workers and sent debris and dust flying into the community.

The refinery restarted production on May 10, 2016, more than a year after the explosion which sent gas prices soaring statewide. But production has been reduced by about 20 percent as the company continues to work to repair damage.

Advertisement