TORRANCE, Calif. (KABC) --
An explosion at the Exxon Mobil refinery caused structural damage and was felt for miles around Torrance on Wednesday, but there were no major injuries.
The blast happened in a processing unit at the refinery in the 3700 block of 190th Street at 8:50 a.m. The explosion was followed by a ground fire, which was quickly knocked down.
The explosion was so strong that it registered as a 1.7-magnitude earthquake on a nearby seismometer operated by Caltech and USGS.
Employees say they first noticed a smell and then heard and felt the explosion.
Rodney Payne was part of an electrical crew working near the processing building that exploded.
"I was maybe 100 yards away from the explosion," Payne said. "I can see the billowing of the smoke and the fumes coming, so I just located my guys and told them that we gotta go."
Exxon Mobil said in a statement that four contractors were transported to Long Beach Medical Center for minor injuries, and everyone was accounted for.
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