Cal/OSHA Investigates Tosco Refinery Fire

Cal/OSHA, the state’s worker safety agency, is investigating Tuesday’s fire at the Tosco Corp. refinery in Wilmington. The fire burned for an hour in a storage tank for oily water, creating enough smoke to briefly close the Harbor Freeway. Although no one was injured, “we are a bit concerned as to whether or not Tosco followed certain procedures” in managing the work of an outside contractor, an agency spokesman said. The fire is believed to have started as the contractor was welding near the storage tank, he said. Tosco, which is also investigating the fire, said the mishap did not affect production at the 120,000-barrel-a-day refinery. This is Tosco’s second refinery fire this year. In February, four workers were killed in an explosion and fire at the company’s refinery in Martinez, near San Francisco. Cal/OSHA in August hit Tosco with record fines totaling $810,750 and said the oil company failed to correct hazards that resulted in the fire. The agency on Monday gave a confidential report on its findings to the Contra Costa County district attorney’s office, which is weighing whether to file criminal charges against Tosco. Shares of Stamford, Conn.-based Tosco rose $1.88 to close at $28.69 on the New York Stock Exchange.