Fire and smoke near LAX is no emergency, officials say

A controlled burn-off at a Chevron refinery is responsible for the fire and smoke residents saw Sunday evening near Los Angeles International Airport, and there is no emergency, fire officials said.  

Los Angeles County fire officials said they received calls from worried residents who saw what they thought was a fire coming from a refinery near the corner of Aviation Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue. Dispatch Supervisor Art Marrujo said units were dispatched to the refinery about 5:51 p.m. and left about 12 minutes later after refinery operators told them they were conducting a “flare off.”

Marrujo said refineries shoot large flames into the air about once a month to burn off excess gas and pressure.

“Everyone thinks the building is on fire, but it’s not,” he said.  

On the Los Angeles Fire Department’s news blog, spokesman Erik Scott summed it up: “Large amount of smoke/fire near LAX is due to Chevron refinery burn-off,” he wrote. “No emergency, no LAFD
involvement.”

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-- Matt Stevens

Map: Approximate location of fire and smoke shown in black. Credit: Los Angeles Times Mapping L.A.