Incident Report

Subject:                   Fire Rips Through Building at ConocoPhillips Refinery

Date of Email report:   Fri 20/01/2012

Report Detail:

WILMINGTON, California. - A fire ripped through an administrative building at the ConocoPhillips refinery in Wilmington early Monday morning. The fire was reported around 4:22 a.m. in the 1600 block of W. Anaheim Street, just west of the 110 Freeway. A  passer-by who saw a glow in one of the windows called 911, according to L.A. City Fire Capt. Jaime Moore.  When fire crews arrived at the scene, they encountered flames in the second-story of the building, which had already extended up into the attic, Moore said. Structural stability was a major concern for fire-fighters, officials said.

The brick-and-mortar building is believed to be over 100 years old. A portion of the roof collapsed early in the fire-fight, prompting fire crews to pull back and assume a defensive posture. Some 166 fire-fighters worked on the blaze, dousing it with heavy streams of water from ladder trucks.  They then went back inside with hand hoses to put out the remaining spot fires.

The fire was declared knocked down about four hours after it began. No injuries were reported.  The blaze was confined to the free-standing office building, and did not affect any other parts of the facility.  Fire officials stressed that it was an ordinary structure fire, and did not involve any hazardous materials.  The LAFD worked in a unified command with ConocoPhillips to shut down utilities and monitor some computer equipment in the basement of the affected building.  ConocoPhillips spokesperson Betsy Brien said the fire would not impact shipments or the refinery process. 

"We do have contingency plans in place so we will be able to operate," Brien said.  The plant refines crude oil to gasoline, which is then delivered across California, Nevada and Arizona.  Brien said the burned building is used for administrative functions, such as billing.  About 100 officer workers were displaced by the fire, but trailers were being brought in to house them.  There was no immediate word on a possible cause of the fire.

Additional Documentation:

Video available here: http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-conoco-philips-refinery-fire,0,2103373.story