Second Flaring Event In Two Days At Torrance Refinery Prompts Street Closures

TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) — A Torrance street was shut down Monday after an "unplanned flaring event" at a local refinery hours after officials reported a similar issue, police said Monday.

Authorities closed a section of Del Amo Boulevard between Maple Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard about 8 a.m. Sunday after gases were vented and burned off at the Torrance Refining Company, police said.

The flaring - which officials say was caused by an "offsite transformer failure" - was reported just hours after an electrical issue was blamed for a similar event at the refiner Sunday morning.

Earlier this year, PBF Energy officially assumed ownership of the refinery, which was formerly known as the ExxonMobil Torrance Refinery.

Previous incidents at the refinery have resulted in a spike in gas prices, but officials say it's still too early to determine whether the incident will impact crude markets.

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