Injury Toll Grows to 28 in Mobil Refinery Blast : Explosion: Officials are still seeking cause, but say costly safety features kept incident from being worse.

As the injury toll from an explosion and fire at the Mobil refinery in Torrance grew to 28 workers Thursday, government and company officials were still trying to figure out what caused the incident.

Meanwhile, the officials noted that the incident could have been much worse if the refinery had not installed millions of dollars in safety features in recent years, largely at the insistence of neighbors and government public safety agencies.

“When you have a huge facility that makes a lot of gasoline, that’s an inherently dangerous business,” Torrance Fire Chief R. Scott Adams said.

“Is (the) Mobil (refinery) much safer than it used to be? The answer is yes. . . ,” Adams said. “To give Mobil a black eye because of this is probably unfair.”

“We don’t live in an accident-free environment,” said Jim Carbonetti, a Mobil spokesman. “We take all the steps we can to ensure that we’re operating safely.”

Even some neighbors said they believe the refinery is safer than it used to be.

“I do feel they’re doing better,” said Fred Casstevens, a board member on the Northwest Torrance Homeowners Assn. “This refinery is a lot safer than some other refineries.”

But he added, “It only takes one major incident to change that.”

The explosion at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday sent flames about 40 feet into the air and shook the ground. Twelve people who were injured in the incident remained hospitalized at three South Bay hospitals Thursday, most suffering from burns or inhalation injuries. One patient had a broken arm, another had a fractured spine, hospital spokeswomen said.

All were reported to be in stable or fair condition. Sixteen other people were treated and released.

All of the injured had been working at the refinery except one. Although not included in the Mobil or Torrance Fire Department injury figures, one patient at Little Company of Mary Hospital was driving by the refinery when the accident occurred and later complained of respiratory problems. The 36-year-old Torrance resident was being treated for respiratory complaints, a hospital spokesperson said.

Many of the injured workers were employed by a Carson general contracting firm, I.S.T. Mechanical Corp., which had about 200 employees on the site, including some at the accident point. But company officials declined to comment on what might have caused the accident.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District is also investigating the incident to determine whether toxic substances might have been released by the explosion. If Mobil is found to have violated air-quality standards, even because of an accident, it could be fined as much as $50,000 for each violation.

Relations between the refinery, which opened in the 1920s, and local governments and citizens’ groups have often been strained. After a 1987 accident caused $17 million in property damage, Torrance sued Mobil for alleged safety violations. A subsequent agreement called for the refinery to hire a safety adviser, make various improvements and modify or phase out the use of hydrofluoric acid, which can cause a deadly toxic cloud when released.

Adams said that since the agreement, Mobil has added millions of dollars in improvements, including safety features designed to prevent hydrofluoric acid leaks. Adams said that although Wednesday’s explosion occurred near a unit containing hydrofluoric acid, no acid seemed to have been released.

Torrance City Councilman Dan Walker, a Mobil critic after the 1987 explosion, also noted that the company has made safety strides since its settlement with the city.

“What this (latest accident) says is you can never make a refinery 100% safe,” he said. “Unfortunately, there will always be accidents.”

Times staff writers Ted Johnson and Deborah Schoch and correspondent Mary Guthrie contributed to this story.