04 Feb County Officials Lift Health Advisory After Confirming Martinez Refinery Fire Is Out

A fire Saturday at the Martinez refinery injured six and prompted, first, a shelter-in-place order, then a public health advisory. (Tony Hicks / Bay City News)

By Tony Hicks
Bay City News

Contra Costa Health on Tuesday afternoon lifted a public health advisory linked to a weekend fire at the Martinez Refining Company facility after confirming the fire is out.

County health officials said residents in the affected area can now resume normal activities and should open doors and windows to air out buildings and homes.

Six workers were injured in the explosion and ensuing fire Saturday afternoon that prompted surrounding communities to shelter in place until Saturday evening.

CCH said in a statement it was first notified of the event when MRC, owned by PBF Energy, reported the fire through the county’s Community Warning System at 1:49 p.m. Saturday.

County hazardous materials crews have continued to monitor air quality since Saturday.

In addition to a 72-hour report that MRC must file with the county Tuesday, plus subsequent 30-day reports, MRC must perform a root cause analysis of the fire. The analysis is an investigation aimed at identifying how the fire happened and what can be done to prevent future similar ones from occurring.

County officials said they’re also investigating the cause of the fire. Earlier Tuesday, Contra Costa County Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston, who represents the district where the refinery is located, called for a full facility audit of MRC.

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