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Residents in area near Martinez refinery warned to remain inside

Martinez oil refinery
Joe Futrelle
/
Flickr / Creative Commons
Martinez oil refinery

Contra Costa Health noted in a news release that as of 11:00 a.m. Sunday, the fire was mostly out, but the agency will keep its health advisory in place for people with respiratory sensitivity until the fire is completely extinguished.

A shelter-in-place alert was declared late Saturday afternoon for specific neighborhoods near the refinery and lifted about 9:00 p.m.

Saturday's fire injured at least six people. Ted Leach, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District captain, said four people were taken to a hospital for treatment Saturday and three were released,. He said two others were treated at the scene and released.

Contra Costa Health said it was first notified of the event when the Martinez Refining Co., owned by PBF Energy, reported the fire through the county's Community Warning System, or CWS, just before 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

The Level 2 alert prompted Contra Costa Health to issue its health advisory for the surrounding neighborhoods.

Sunni M. Khalid is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, having worked in print, radio, television, and web journalism.