The Region : 2nd Arco Fire Blamed on Broken Tube

A broken oil heating tube that sparked a fire at an Arco refinery in Carson was blamed for a second blaze that broke out as workers tried to fix it, authorities said. No injuries were reported in the second fire, which occurred as workers tried to clean out the broken tube in the heater unit in the refinery at South Wilmington Boulevard and 223rd Street, said Arco spokesman Scott Loll. Three workers received minor injuries Saturday evening when the same heater exploded, exposing oil gases to heat, Loll said. “The workers Sunday were in the process of purging some of the lines, and some of the oil-gas product got back into an area warm enough to ignite,” Loll said. Both fires were quickly controlled by Los Angeles County firefighters. Loll said Arco officials had tied the earlier fire to the broken line, but had not determined what exactly caused the rupture.