The Martinez Refining Company announced that on April 3, 2025, they will be restarting some of our refinery process units that were uninvolved in the fire on February 1, 2025.
Their announcement stated they anticipate the restart process will take approximately two weeks, during which there will be potential for intermittent flaring. We are working diligently to minimize flaring and will only flare if necessary for safety and reliability reasons. Flares are an essential part of a refinery’s integrated, engineered safety systems, which are designed to safely manage excess gases and pressure through efficient, effective combustion. You can learn more about flaring here: martinezrefiningcompany.com/about-flaring.
As stated during a community town hall hosted by Contra Costa County District 5 Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston on March 13, they confirmed they will not be restarting any units that were damaged or involved in the fire (i.e., Catalytic Gas Plant and Catalytic Feed Hydrotreater) until the fourth quarter of 2025.
Government representatives continue to have 24/7 access to the refinery, and they say they continue to cooperate with their inspectors and investigators. Their investigation team, which includes representatives from United Steel Workers Local 5 and UA Local 342, is working to complete its Root Cause Analysis, which they expect to issue by the end of April. Additionally, they continue to work to address costs or expenses incurred as a result of the fire through our community claims process. To file a claim, please call our claims hotline at 800.542.7113.
For more information about the February 1, 2025, incident, please visit our website at martinezrefiningcompany.com/refinery-incident. As always, during business hours you may direct any inquiry to (925) 313-3777 or (925) 313-3601 after hours.
- REVISED STATEMENT. At approximately 7:50 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, a portable air compressor at the refinery caught on fire while being refueled by a contract worker, who was transported offsite for medical evaluation and treatment. The fire was extinguished and was unrelated to any of our process units. We issued a Community Warning System Level 1 alert and notified appropriate agencies. The incident is currently under investigation.
- Our Hazmat Team is responding to a report of a fire at the Martinez Refining Company. We are monitoring to determine if there are any potential health concerns. At this time, we are not aware of any offsite impacts. We will provide updates as we learn more.
- UPDATE: The Martinez Refining Company (MRC) has notified us that the fire has been put out. The refinery reports that someone suffered an injury from the fire. We have asked MRC to submit a 72-hour report.
- Feb 11 – Martinez Refinery Discloses Toxic Chemicals Released During Fire
- Feb 5 – Joint Statement on the Martinez Refinery Fire
- Feb 4 – Martinez Health Advisory Lifted
- Feb 4 – Scales-Preston Issues Statement on Martinez Refining Company Fire
- Feb 4 – Contra Costa Fire Releases Incident Report from Martinez Refinery Fire
- Feb 2 – Bay Area Air District Releases Report on Martinez Refinery Fire
- Feb 1 – Update: Martinez Refinery Fire Injures 3, Shelter-in-Place
