Got Out of 2025 with Only 9 U.S. Refinery Fires and Explosions - A Safety Checkpoint Worth Noting

As 2025 closed, the U.S. refining industry recorded approximately nine publicly reported refinery fires and explosions. This number might sound modest at first glance, but it tells a broader story about operational risk, mechanical integrity, and process safety performance in one of the most hazard-intensive sectors of American industry. ⁽¹⁾

A Year of Fire Incidents - The Numbers Behind the Narrative

According to an annual refinery fire incident fact-box compiled from Reuters reporting and widely disseminated by outlets such as Investing.com, U.S. refineries experienced nine significant fire/explosion events over the course of 2025, spanning operators like Chevron, Marathon, Valero, Phillips 66, CITGO, Hunt Refining, PBF Energy, and CVR Energy. ⁽¹⁾

These incidents included both high-visibility industrial fires and explosions significant enough to trigger emergency response, emergency medical treatment, production impacts, or regional market implications.

Standout Incidents from 2025

Among the most notable refinery fires in 2025:

• Chevron El Segundo Fire (California) - On October 2-3, 2025, a major fire erupted in the jet fuel unit of Chevron's El Segundo refinery, lighting up the Los Angeles skyline and briefly disrupting Southern California fuel operations. ⁽²⁾
• HF Sinclair Navajo Explosion & Fire (New Mexico) - On October 31, 2025, an explosion and subsequent fire at HF Sinclair's Navajo Refinery in Artesia sent thick smoke across the city and resulted in three people being transported for medical attention. ⁽³⁾
• Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery Fire (Texas) - A fire at Marathon's Galveston Bay facility prompted shelter-in-place advisories before being controlled, with no reported injuries. ⁽⁴⁾

Other fires were reported at refineries across states, including Louisiana, New Jersey, Alabama, Kansas, and California, most of which were quickly contained but counted toward the year's incident total. ⁽¹⁾

Why "Only Nine" Is More Than It Seems

At first blush, nine incidents in a year that sees scores of industrial locations operate around the clock may sound low. But consider:

• Severity vs. frequency: Even a single fire or explosion can lead to significant downstream consequences - from injured workers and regulatory scrutiny to regional fuel supply disruptions and environmental impacts. ⁽¹⁾
• Mechanical integrity risk: Many refinery fires and explosions stem from system failures, corrosion damage, inadequate maintenance, or defective equipment - all core concerns of mechanical integrity (MI) programs fundamental to Process Safety Management (PSM). ⁽⁵⁾
• Market ripple effects: The El Segundo fire, for example, briefly tightened jet fuel markets in Southern California, highlighting how facility outages can influence supply dynamics even when injuries are absent. ⁽⁶⁾

Looking Ahead - Safety, Standards, and Strategy

As 2026 unfolds, refining leaders and safety professionals will likely reflect on 2025 as a year with a manageable number of reported fires and explosions but one reminding the industry that frequency statistics don't capture severity risk, near misses, or latent hazards tied to mechanical integrity programs.

Ultimately, a low annual count is welcome, but ongoing investment in inspection, maintenance, hazard identification, and proactive process safety management remains critical to prevent the next high-consequence event.

REFERENCES

1. Reuters / Investing.com. 10/3/2025. Factbox: U.S. refinery fire incidents so far in 2025. https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/factboxus-refinery-fire-incidents-so-far-in-2025-4270313.
2. Chevron Global. 10/3/2025. Fire at chevron el segundo refinery is now outhttps://elsegundo.chevron.com/media-updates.
3. Associated Press. 10/31/2025. Explosion at New Mexico oil refinery sends thick smoke across Artesia; three injured. https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-oil-refinery-explosion-e87bcb0be8a67b5163426f99935e9bb3.
4. Houston Chronicle. 6/14/2025. Texas City shelter-in-place lifted after fire at Marathon refinery. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/texas-city-fire-shelter-in-place-20377469.php.
5. Albuquerque Journal. 10/31/2025. Three injured in fire at Navajo Refinery in Artesia. https://www.abqjournal.com/news/three-injured-in-fire-at-oil-refinery-in-artesia/2901277.
6. Investing.com. 10/3/2025. Chevron's Los Angeles refinery down after large fire erupts in jet fuel unit. https://ca.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/chevrons-los-angeles-refinery-down-after-large-fire-erupts-in-jet-fuel-unit-4232174.
7. Reuters. Fire breaks out at Chevron's El Segundo refinery, disrupting jet fuel production. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fire-breaks-out-chevrons-refinery-el-segundo-la-times-says-2025-10-03/.
8. American Petroleum Institute. Recommended Practice 754: Process Safety Performance Indicators for the Refining and Petrochemical Industries. https://www.apiwebstore.org/standards/754.

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