Drilling’s end recalled near Hermosa Beach
Pat Aust As Hermosan Beach residents debate the possibility of oil drilling within the city, Redondo Councilman Pat Aust recalled his days as a fire marshal three decades ago, when 51 wells were being capped after drawing what oil they could from under the ocean. Aust said the drilling, from a small stretch of land in the marina area, was conducted without major incident. A fire killed a man and badly burned another as the dried-up wells were being demolished, but Aust said the accident should have been preventable. The blaze was caused when a company without oil expertise was contracted to aid in the demolition, and oil vapors were ignited by a worker’s torch, he said. “I was on that call, on the first engine to pull in, and there was a guy who looked like a bird, with wings. It was skin under his arms, hanging down,” Aust said. “Are you okay?” Aust asked. “Take care of my friend,” the man replied. Paramedics worked on both men. “We went to the other guy, and he was burned like a charcoal briquette. His fingers were gone, his toes were gone. I said ‘can you hear me?’ and he was talking, but he had no lips,’” Aust said. That man died at a burn center hours later. “It didn’t have…
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