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Corrosion Linked To 2011 Chevron Refinery Fire

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- State inspection documents say corrosion that went unchecked -- the suspected cause of a fire at a Chevron Corp. refinery in August -- was linked to another fire at the San Francisco Bay area plant last year that prompted some workers to complain to regulators.

According to the documents obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, a state Division of Occupational Safety and Health inspector who investigated the smaller October 2011 fire at the Richmond refinery documented allegations from two workers of corrosion.

The 2011 fire took place during a scheduled maintenance shutdown and was quickly extinguished.

Chevron officials said the corrosion that led to that fire was unexpected, and that nothing they found afterward was unusual.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed)

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