Residents of Torrance told to shelter in place after refinery blast

An explosion at the ExxonMobil refinery just before 10 a.m. rocked the north side of Torrance and nearby areas. The Torrance Fire Department has auto-called residents advising them to shelter in place and is telling people to turn off their air conditioners and heating systems and keep their windows closed. "In 10 years living in this city, I have never gotten one of those calls before," said Daily Breeze managing editor Tony Sciacqua on Twitter. She says ash is falling from the sky and controlled flares of flame have been visible at the refinery.

Del Amo Boulevard is closed between Maple and Crenshaw, the Torrance PD says. Aerial news footage shows damage to at least one structure on the refinery site. The flaring process caused black smoke to drift over the area.

After the Torrance explosion, the refinery immediately began flaring to burn off product http://t.co/Ve6fTpA9Iz pic.twitter.com/8DRiZ9sLBP

— Daily Breeze (@DailyBreezeNews) February 18, 2015

Police say air quality readings normal near refinery but residents should stay indoors.

— Larry Altman (@LarryAltman) February 18, 2015