Martinez refinery discloses unplanned weekend flaring incident

Martinez Refining Company said it experienced unplanned flaring for about 30 minutes on Saturday night.

The refinery said the flaring began at approximately 11 p.m.

"Our employees stabilized the issue and flaring ended at approximately 11:30 p.m.," the refinery said on social media . "In following our procedures, appropriate agencies were notified, and we issued a Community Warning System Level 1 notification, which requires no action by the public. We apologize for the noise and any concern this may have caused."

The company said flares are an essential part of a refinery's integrated, engineered safety systems, designed to safely manage excess gases through efficient, effective combustion.

To learn more about flaring, go to https://martinezrefiningcompany.com/about-flaring/ .

People are welcome to view real-time measurements on MRC's fence line air monitoring at https://www.fenceline.org/martinez/ .

People can contact the refinery at a community inquiry phone number at (925) 313-3777 or (925) 313-3601 during off hours.