Saw a fire at the Phillips 66 oil refinery? Here’s what happened
Phillips 66’s Santa Maria Oil Refinery experienced “operational issues” that resulted in flaring on Thursday night, spokesperson Bernardo Fallas said in a statement to The Tribune on Friday.
The flare may have looked like a small, steady fire to passersby.
Flares are “safety devices” that “burn excess hydrocarbon gases that cannot be recovered or recycled,” Fallas said.
Fallas declined to share what the operational issues were.
“All refinery safety systems functioned as designed, and all appropriate regulatory notifications were made,” Fallas said.
The refinery notified the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) about the malfunction, according to APCD Senior Air Quality Scientist Karl Tupper.
“You look at one of these big stacks and you’ll see a flame coming out of it, and that’s an understandably scary thing for the public to see,” Tupper said. “It’s a safety measure to get rid of excess gas and fuel in a safe manner by burning it in a controlled fashion.”
There are two air pollution monitors at the refinery, which measure levels of sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and VOCs — pollutants that could harm people’s health in large doses, Tupper said. According to the monitors, pollution levels at the refinery are comparable to a typical day, he said.
“Everything is looking normal,” Tupper said. “We don’t think there is any risk to the public, or any cause for alarm.”
