On Monday morning, a fire broke out at the Valero Refinery in Benicia, leading to the release of hazardous chemicals and prompting shelter-in-place orders for local residents. Black smoke was visible for miles, and air monitoring was initiated by HazMat teams sent to the area. Residents reported confusion due to a failure of the county alert system, which delayed notification of the fire for 45 minutes. By 10:40 am, shelter orders were lifted, and air quality monitored showed levels below health hazard thresholds, though some particulate matter remained present.
A fire at the Valero Refinery in Benicia early Monday emitted hazardous chemicals, prompting a shelter-in-place order that was lifted a few hours later.
The fire broke out around 8:45 am, causing visible plumes of smoke that led to air quality monitoring and shelter orders for local residents.
Residents were reportedly unaware of the danger for 45 minutes due to a failure in the county-wide alert system.
Air monitoring indicated that while particulate matter was present, overall levels remained below health hazardous limits after the fire was contained.
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