East Bay: Rodeo's Phillips 66 refinery fire extinguished
By George Kelly gkelly@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: AUGUST 3, 2015
RODEO, CALIFORNIA
A small fire Sunday at the Phillips 66 refinery spurred the county health department to issue a public health advisory for the towns of Rodeo and Crockett.
The fire began around 3 p.m. at the refinery site in the 1300 block of San Pablo Avenue, spurring a response from refinery fire staff and Rodeo-Hercules fire district firefighters, Phillips 66 spokesman Paul Adler said in a statement.
No injuries were reported, and the fire's cause is under investigation, Adler said.
The Contra Costa County incident warning system issued an alert just before 3:15 p.m. that staff concerned with hazardous materials were responding to a report of a fire at the refinery.
County officials advise people with respiratory sensitivities to avoid the area or stay inside and rinse any irritated area with water but added that most people should not be affected.
A photo shows a fire that broke out Sunday afternoon at the Philips 66 refinery in Rodeo. (Courtesy of Jason Sutton)
The county's hazardous materials incident response site listed the refinery's last major incident as a little more than three years ago. On June 15, 2012, an overpressured sour water tank left splits in two tanks, sending chemical vapors into the air and leaving odors detectable in surrounding communities, according to a tally of major accidents at the county's chemical and refinery plants.