Smoke billowed from the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California, on the evening of August 6, 2012. This was the scene as viewed from the hills, across the Bay, in Larkspur. This facility was opened in 1902 and is Northern California's largest refinery, capable of processing more than 242,000 barrels of oil each day. According to reports, a series of explosions occurred at approximately 6:15 p.m., resulting in at least two large fires beginning about 6:30 p.m.. The incident sent hundreds of people rushing to East Bay Area hospitals and almost immediately started pushing West Coast gas prices higher. The air quality in Marin County, where these photos were taken, was not appreciably affected. These pictures were taken between 6:36 p.m. and 8:27 p.m. PDT.