One injured at Martinez refinery after portable air compressor catches fire
A fire involving a portable air compressor at the Martinez Refining Company on Wednesday night left one person injured, according to officials.
A hazmat team with Contra Costa Health responded to the fire, the department said around 8:20 p.m.
"We are monitoring to determine if there are any potential health concerns," said Contra Costa Health on social media. "At this time, we are not aware of any offsite impacts."
The refinery reported that someone suffered an injury from the fire and the Contra Costa Fire Protection District confirmed they were assisting with a medical emergency but didn't have information about the fire. Authorities did not indicated how serious the injuries were.
PBF Energy, the company that owns the Martinez Refinery, later provided an updated statement:
At approximately 7:50 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, a portable air compressor at the refinery caught on fire while being refueled by a contract worker, who was transported offsite for medical evaluation and treatment. The fire was extinguished and was unrelated to any of our process units.
The refinery will be submitting a report to Contra Costa Health within 72 hours, the department said.
The refinery has been under increased scrutiny from the public and health officials ever since the large fire at the facility early in February.
An explosion and fire were reported at approximately 1:30 p.m. Feb. 1, when two workers opened equipment while preparing for planned maintenance on a process unit.
The county issued a shelter-in-place alert at 4:49 p.m. Feb. 1 for neighborhoods near the refinery, and the alert was lifted at about 9 p.m.
Six workers were injured, though none seriously, refinery officials said.
MRC said 170 barrels -- 7,140 gallons -- of hydrocarbon materials were released during the fire, most of which they said were consumed by the flames.
Contra Costa Health said chemicals and combustion byproducts from the fire included those that cause cancer, heart and lung disease.
