Local News in Brief : Foul-Smelling Vapors Leak From Oil Tank
Abnormally high pressures in a tank at Mobil’s Torrance refinery pushed up the tank’s roof, forced the venting of foul-smelling hydrocarbon vapors and led fire officials to close a major street for about an hour.
Torrance Fire Marshal Denny Haas said fire crews went to the scene about 9 p.m. Thursday after receiving a call from Mobil and numerous complaints from residents about odors. Nearby Prairie Avenue was closed shortly afterward.
Haas said that the refinery “got the product too hot and got too much vapor pressure” in the the 90,000-barrel tank but that instrument recordings showed no danger of explosion or fire.
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