Gas prices in California could increase significantly in a matter of days after a massive fire erupted at the Chevron oil refinery near Los Angeles.
Firefighters on Friday continued to put out the flames at the Chevron El Segundo Refinery — one of the largest refineries on the West Coast — after a fire broke out Thursday night. No injuries were reported, but officials urged people to stay indoors. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire as of Friday morning.
Experts anticipated the blaze would disrupt U.S. oil production, as the El Segundo refinery ordinarily processes about 300,000 barrels of crude oil a day, including one fifth of all motor vehicle fuel and 40% of jet fuel in Southern California, said Matt McClain, a petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, an app that tracks gas prices nationwide…