RICHMOND, Calif., Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Chevron said Monday night it was investigating the cause of a smoky fire that broke out at its refinery outside San Francisco.
The blaze struck the No. 4 crude unit at the Richmond refinery, which supplies gasoline and other fuels for much of the western United States.
"We will not speculate on the cause of this incident," Chevron said in a written statement. "Our priority right now is containing the fire and protecting the health and safety of our employees and community."
Chevron said all of its employees had been accounted for.
The dramatic fire churned up a cloud of black smoke visible over much of the Bay Area and prompted a "shelter in place" advisory for about 160,000 people living in the area, the Contra Costa Times reported.
The newspaper said witnesses reported hearing at least four explosions after the fire broke out about 6:15 p.m. PDT.
The refinery's crude unit is tower-like structure that heats up crude oil and begins to break it down into various refined products.
The loss of Chevron Richmond's refining capacity of about 240,000 barrels of crude per day will likely have a bullish impact on gasoline prices in California and other Western states.
