El Segundo Fire Department

A fire ignited by a hydrogen gas leak at the Chevron oil refinery in El Segundo on Saturday was extinguished by workers at the plant, but 18 firefighters from the El Segundo Fire Department remained at the scene for 20 minutes to ensure that the flames were out, firefighters said. No injuries were reported. The fire was reported at 12:10 p.m. in the low-sulfur fuel section of the plant, said Capt. Jim O'Brien of the El Segundo Fire Department.

A 25-year veteran of the Gardena Fire Department was named El Segundo's fire chief Wednesday, city officials announced. Craig Pedego, 52, will take command of the 63-member department on Sept. 3, interim City Manager Tim Grimmond said. Pedego joined the Gardena Fire Department as a firefighter in 1973 and rose through the ranks to become fire chief in 1992.

Three Southern Pacific railroad tankers carrying about 60,000 gallons of propane gas derailed in El Segundo on Friday but did not spill their contents, authorities said. No one was injured in the derailment, which occurred about 12:30 a.m., said Southern Pacific spokesman Bob Hoppe. The three 20,000-gallon tankers were among six cars being pulled by a locomotive. The tankers derailed as the train was switching tracks in El Segundo, Hoppe said. Hoppe said the train "was probably moving about 5 m.

Three Southern Pacific railroad tankers carrying about 60,000 gallons of propane gas derailed in El Segundo on Friday but did not spill their contents, authorities said. No one was injured in the derailment, which occurred about 12:30 a.m., said Southern Pacific spokesman Bob Hoppe. The three 20,000-gallon tankers were among six cars being pulled by a locomotive. The tankers derailed as the train was switching tracks in El Segundo, Hoppe said. Hoppe said the train "was probably moving about 5 m.

A lengthy investigation by fire officials has uncovered more than 70 fire and safety code violations at the landmark Hacienda Hotel in El Segundo. Managers of the 640-room hotel--most of which was built between 30 and 35 years ago--say they have already corrected many of the violations and have been working to comply with the city codes.

A 25-year veteran of the Gardena Fire Department was named El Segundo's fire chief Wednesday, city officials announced. Craig Pedego, 52, will take command of the 63-member department on Sept. 3, interim City Manager Tim Grimmond said. Pedego joined the Gardena Fire Department as a firefighter in 1973 and rose through the ranks to become fire chief in 1992.

The Fire Department will operate out of a temporary trailer camp at the corner of Standard Street and Grand Avenue for the next year while the Main Street fire station is being remodeled. Firefighters moved to the temporary site this week. The department's phone numbers have not changed, and Fire Chief Larry Sheldon maintains that emergency fire and paramedic service will not be affected by construction at the Main Street site.

A fire Monday morning at Chevron USA Inc.'s El Segundo refinery sent flames soaring 150 feet before firefighters extinguished the blaze at 10:15 a.m., about two hours after it started. Chevron spokesmen said the blaze was the result of a pump malfunction that triggered a release of 450-degree crude oil. No injuries were reported, and company officials described the damage as minimal. Firefighters said the fire was large.

A reddish-brown nitric acid cloud that escaped from a Hughes Aircraft facility in El Segundo sent seven people to the hospital and forced the evacuation of 400 employees from six buildings Thursday. What caused the release and exactly how much of the chemical leaked out have not been determined, said Don Johnson, a spokesman for the El Segundo Fire Department. Nitric acid, a strong corrosive, is considered highly toxic. Hughes uses it to etch electronic circuit boards for airborne radar systems.

David W. Sloan, a 29-year veteran of the Los Angeles City Fire Department, will become El Segundo's fire chief March 29, El Segundo City Manager Fred Sorsabal has announced. Sloan replaces Robert Marsh, who was El Segundo fire chief for two years before retiring last November. Marsh, a 30-year veteran of the El Segundo Fire Department, has continued to serve as temporary chief until his replacement takes over.

A lengthy investigation by fire officials has uncovered more than 70 fire and safety code violations at the landmark Hacienda Hotel in El Segundo. Managers of the 640-room hotel--most of which was built between 30 and 35 years ago--say they have already corrected many of the violations and have been working to comply with the city codes.

A fire ignited by a hydrogen gas leak at the Chevron oil refinery in El Segundo on Saturday was extinguished by workers at the plant, but 18 firefighters from the El Segundo Fire Department remained at the scene for 20 minutes to ensure that the flames were out, firefighters said. No injuries were reported. The fire was reported at 12:10 p.m. in the low-sulfur fuel section of the plant, said Capt. Jim O'Brien of the El Segundo Fire Department.

The Fire Department will operate out of a temporary trailer camp at the corner of Standard Street and Grand Avenue for the next year while the Main Street fire station is being remodeled. Firefighters moved to the temporary site this week. The department's phone numbers have not changed, and Fire Chief Larry Sheldon maintains that emergency fire and paramedic service will not be affected by construction at the Main Street site.

A furious blaze gutted a warehouse Monday, destroying at least $1 million of computer software and other equipment, authorities said. No one was hurt in the early morning fire, but Encore Software, a computer game and educational CD-ROM maker that used the warehouse for assembly and packaging, estimated the loss at between $1 million and $2 million. "Ninety percent of the existing [ready-to-ship] inventory was damaged and irreparable," said Deborah Kazenelson, spokeswoman for the company.