---
title: "Investigation calls for improved heater safeguards"
description: "CBRNe World provides those tasked with defending against CBRN and IED threats with the essential practical, scientific and political information. Access the current and previous issues of the magazine by registering as a member."
url: "https://cbrneworld.com/threats-news/americas/investigation-calls-for-improved-heater-safeguards"
date: "2026-07-30T21:14:56+00:00"
language: "en-GB"
---

#  Investigation calls for improved heater safeguards

 Written on 01 May 2025.

Chemical facility operators need to ensure workers remain at a safe distance from fired heaters when tube temperatures are high, the Chemical Safety Board says in its final report on a November 2023 fire.

The fire occurred at the Marathon Martinez Renewables facility in Martinez, CA. One worker sustained third-degree burns on much of his face and body during the incident, which also contributed to about $350 million in property damage.

CSB investigators found that a refinery furnace overheated, resulting in the blaze. With the furnace malfunctioning, the worker was sent to turn off part of the machinery. A metal tube in a fired heater ruptured, however, creating dangerously high temperatures and releasing renewable diesel and hydrogen that ignited the fire.

The agency determined that the tubes overheated because an open valve diverted a “significant amount of process flow” away from the fired heater. Additionally, cover plates blocked the air inlets of two of the four burners.

To prevent future incidents, CSB recommends that chemical facilities establish requirements “for when troubleshooting in close proximity to fired heaters should be stopped and other actions, such as shutting down a fired heater remotely, should be taken.”

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