Refinery fire out, but more than 350 visit hospitals

Chevron said the fire was put out this morning at its oil refinery in Richmond. More than 350 nearby residents showed up at hospital emergency rooms complaining of respiratory issues, but none were admitted, according to SFGate.com:

Fire crews extinguished the large fire at the Chevron refining facility in Richmond early Tuesday but allowed a "small controlled burn" to continue as a way of reducing pressure within the damaged unit, an official said.

"This is helping to ensure that more hydrocarbons do not escape," Chevron spokeswoman Heather Kulp said at an early morning news conference....

"We apologize to our neighbors and this community for the fire and the concern that we have caused them," Kulp said. "We are now working to determine the cause so that we can prevent such an incident from occurring in the future."

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