BP Reports Fire in Coke Barn at California Refinery (Update2)
By Christian Schmollinger
Feb. 24 , 2009(Bloomberg) — BP Plc, Europe’s second-largest oil company by market value, reported a fire on a conveyor belt holding petroleum coke at its Carson, California, refinery.
The blaze caused 500 pounds of sulfur dioxide and smoke to be released, according to a filing with the California Office of Emergency Services. The incident occurred at about 5 p.m. local time yesterday. No reason was given for the fire.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the fire inside the coke barn and is the process of extinguishing it, said a second filing. A coke barn is a storage area for petroleum coke, a residue product from the refining process that consists mainly of carbon.
The fire was under control and wasn’t a threat to residents in the area, the Daily Breeze reported on its Web site, citing Walter Neil, a spokesman for the refinery.
The refinery is California’s second-largest and can process 265,500 barrels of oil a day, according to U.S. Energy Department data. Chevron Corp.’s El Segundo refinery is California’s largest.
To contact the reporter on this story: Christian Schmollinger in Singapore at christian.s@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: February 24, 2009 03:35 EST
