Update to the Community Regarding the Chevron Refinery Incident
Mayor, Council Members, and residents of Manhattan Beach,
I want to begin by acknowledging the significant concern and genuine fear that many of you felt when the fire broke out at the Chevron Refinery in El Segundo. When an incident of this magnitude occurs so close to home, it is natural to feel shaken and look for immediate reassurance. Your safety is, and always will be, the top priority of the Manhattan Beach Fire Department and the entire City team.
I want to offer my deepest respect and gratitude for the profound professionalism, swift action, and commitment displayed by our first responders that night. This incident truly tested our response protocols, and our teams performed at the highest level, demonstrating their professionalism and readiness.
A Rapid and Professional Response
Within two minutes of receiving the initial dispatch call, Manhattan Beach Fire Department units were en route to the scene. This rapid mobilization demonstrates our constant state of readiness and training, and our firefighters engaged in suppression activities at the highest level, contributing to the incident’s swift mitigation.
Crucially, even while our firefighters were committed on scene, we maintained our City’s station and provided necessary station coverage for regular calls to the neighboring cities of Redondo Beach and El Segundo. This commitment ensures uninterrupted public safety across the region, even during major emergencies.
Simultaneously, the Manhattan Beach Police Department was immediately notified, and their officers were on scene, coordinating with personnel and beginning to block off impacted roads within minutes. Their speed was critical in establishing perimeter awareness and helping to manage public safety concerns in the immediate aftermath. I want to assure our residents that had an evacuation order been necessary, our Police Department officers would have gone door-to-door to ensure every household was notified and safely moved out of the impacted area. We would never rely solely on text message alerts to notify residents.
Communication and Coordination
I must be candid about the realities of a large-scale, multi-agency incident like this. The incident command structure was, appropriately, established by the City of El Segundo Fire Department and the Chevron Fire Department. While our teams worked seamlessly with one another, we did experience initial challenges in receiving real-time, comprehensive updates from the Incident Command due to the severity and complexity of the incident. This slowed the flow of confirmed, actionable information from the primary source.
However, despite these external coordination difficulties, our dedicated City team worked with the best available confirmed information, and we were able to broadcast a message to the Manhattan Beach community within 26 minutes of the initial call, within ten minutes of unified command being established on scene, and within seconds of unified command providing instructions. In a critical and evolving emergency, getting a timely message out is a priority, and I commend the team for prioritizing public notification under pressure.
We continue to work with our regional partners to conduct a thorough review of what happened on Thursday evening. We will use this experience to strengthen our inter-agency communication protocols to ensure that, in future incidents, the flow of information is as fast and clear as possible, regardless of who holds the Incident Command.
The City uses the “AlertSB” emergency notification system to distribute information by text and email. It is the fastest way to receive critical safety information. You can register by texting MBAlerts to 888-777 or by registering online at alertsouthbay.com.
To the residents who trusted our public safety personnel to respond to the recent Chevron Fire, thank you. We remain dedicated to protecting this community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We will never stop training, never stop preparing, and never stop serving you.
Thank you.
MB Fire Chief Jesse Alexander
Statement by Mayor David Lesser at October 7, 2025 City Council Meeting
Re: Chevron Refinery Fire on October 2, 2025
On behalf of the City of Manhattan Beach, I want to acknowledge the Manhattan Beach residents who experienced fear and uncertainty during the Chevron Refinery fire in El Segundo last Thursday evening – particularly those living close to the refinery.
Many in our community saw the flames, smelled the smoke, and questioned whether they and their families were safe. We as a City understand your concerns and desire to receive more information. We want to reassure you our public safety teams were on-scene protecting you within two minutes of the incident.
We are grateful for the dedication and professionalism of the first responders who performed under high-pressure, emergency conditions to contain the fire. Manhattan Beach firefighters provided Mutual Aid for suppression activities, while Chevron and El Segundo Fire Departments commanded the incident and associated response.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. But we as a City are committed to working with Chevron and El Segundo to improve regional emergency messaging in future incidents.
We take the concerns of our residents seriously, and are committed to advocating for transparency, safety, and environmental responsibility.
