Local News in Brief : 3 Hurt in Accident at Mobil Refinery
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Two workers at the troubled Mobil Oil Corp. refinery in Torrance were seriously burned and a third suffered minor injuries Tuesday when a plug failed and 300-degree-hot oil shot through a pipe.
Mobil spokesman Jim Carbonetti said the three were working on a filter screen in the pipe when the accident occurred.
Torrance Fire Chief Scott Adams said that when the temporary plug dislodged, oil heated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit shot through the pipe and spewed onto the workers.
Richard Alcaraz, 43, of Wilmington, and John Grundman, 32, of Downey were in serious condition at Torrance Memorial Hospital Medical Center with second-degree burns over 10% to 15% of their bodies. A third employee, Gordon Rock, 31, of Bellflower, was treated for minor burns.
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