Topline:

Eyewitness account: Austin Ma was working out less than a half mile from the blast when the whole room shook. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Ma told LAist media partner KCAL News. "They do these controlled flames, but this time it was like a lot taller, like hundreds of feet tall. It just started getting really hard to breathe all of a sudden."

Air quality: The South Coast Air Quality Management District reported elevated levels of pollution from monitors at the refinery fence line and in nearby communities overnight. Levels were back to normal by Friday morning, AQMD said. "Conditions may change as onshore winds strengthen this afternoon," the air quality agency said in a statement. "We do encourage residents to check the air quality at www.aqmd.gov . If you see or

See Full Page