Fires Hit Exxon, Phillips 66 Refineries in Texas, California

  • Exxon’s Baytown, Texas, refinery is third-largest in U.S.
  • L.A. gasoline prices often rise suddenly on refinery outages

Fire crew attend the Philllips 66 refinery in Carson, March 16. 

Source: Los Angeles Police Department. 

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The third-biggest refinery in the U.S. suffered a fire Saturday near Houston, hours after a Los Angeles plant was partially shut by a blaze, potentially boosting gasoline prices from Texas to California.

Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Baytown, Texas, refinery was fighting a furnace fire at a gasoline hydrofiner, which removes sulfur from fuel to meet clear-air regulations, people familiar with the matter said. Phillips 66 shut a crude unit Friday night at its Carson plant after a fire.