A SHELTER-IN-PLACE order for residents near the Martinez Refining Company was lifted Saturday night after a fire that injured at least six people.
A public health advisory remained in effect for all people with respiratory sensitivity in Martinez, parts of Pacheco and Clyde due to smoke from the fire, Contra Costa County Health Services said.
Four people were taken to a hospital for treatment and three were released, said Ted Leach, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District captain. Two others were treated at the scene and released, he said.
The health department’s Facebook page said the Martinez Refining Company, a subsidiary of PBF Energy Inc., which owns the facility, alerted the county to the fire that broke out during flaring at 1:47 p.m.
Flaring is the burning of excess gas that occurs during equipment shutdowns or malfunctions.
The shelter-in-place alert was declared at 4:49 p.m. for specific neighborhoods near the refinery and lifted about 9 p.m.
A unified command was set up between the company, the fire district and the City of Martinez to oversee the fire fight. Other fire departments were called to assist with the coordinated response and keep the fire contained to the 860-acre refinery, the company said.
Several roads were closed including Marina Vista Avenue, from Interstate 680 to Court Street, and Shell Avenue from Marina Vista Avenue to Pacheco Boulevard, the company said.
Highest alert level
At the height of the fire, Contra Costa’s Community Warning System issued a Level 3 alert, the most severe in its four-tier system, which begins at Level 0. Sirens were sounded every 30 minutes until the end of the event, according to the warning system.
“Residents in portions of Martinez, north of the refinery should shelter in place due to impacts from smoke,” according to the notification system.
“Please go inside, close all windows and doors, turn off all heaters, air conditioners and fans,” the health service urged residents. “If not using the fireplace, close fireplace dampers and vents, and cover cracks around doors and windows with tape or damp towels.”
While most people would not be affected, eye, skin, nose, or throat irritation was possible for some people, according to the alert. Anyone experiencing irritation was advised to rinse the affected area with water.
Latest incident at the refinery
Saturday’s fire is just the latest in a series of incidents at the Martinez refinery since the facility was sold by Shell to PBF Energy in 2020 for $1.2 billion.
In November 2022, powdery “spent catalyst” was released into the community after a compressor failed. An explosion at the plant about two weeks later again caused flaring and an investigation by the Contra Costa Health, according to a community message from the city of Martinez at the time.
The county hired an independent investigator to test soil samples and determined there was no risk to the public.
In 2023, there were at least 21 instances of release or spills of hazardous material at the refinery, according to Contra Costa County Health.
In 2024 there were multiple flaring incidents, including planned flaring that occurred during maintenance work in February and several weeks in April and May.
In December, the company agreed to pay $4.48 million to settle allegations of federal Clean Water Act violations tied to the Martinez refinery, with the money going to environmental projects, according to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board.
To view county alerts visit cwsalerts.com.
For information on county Hazmat responses visit cchealth.org/hazmat.
Bay City News reporters Tony Hicks and Pete Young contributed to this story.
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