JUST IN: Massive Explosion Erupts In LA

A massive explosion triggered shockwaves through Los Angeles in the late hours of Thursday evening, triggering a huge fireball that the witnesses captured in stunning video.

The blast took place just outside LAX Airport, where an oil refinery went up in flames. The inferno could be seen for miles after it ignited a Chevron-owned facility in El Segundo, officials said.

Firefighters arrived on the scene around 9:35 p.m. after residents reported an ear-splitting blast in their backyard.

No injuries have yet been reported, but a shelter-in-place order has remained in effect on Friday morning, with residents being instructed to keep their windows closed to avoid inhaling some of the toxic fumes emanating from the plant.

El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel praised first responders for taking decisive action while saying that he remains “very concerned” for residents in the vicinity of the blast.

“We were able to respond to the Chevron fire immediately, our station is about .25 miles away from the gates of Chevron,” Pimentel told the Daily Mail. “Obviously, we are very concerned, and there is a lot of investigative work to be done to see what has happened.”

What started with the sound of a bunker-busting bomb going off morphed into a “sudden steady roar,” according to witnesses who watched a billowing plume of smoke precede fireballs that clouded an otherwise starry night sky.

Images of the scene posted to social media show firefighters clinging to ladders and dousing the flames with high-pressure hoses, which rose several stories high by that point.

WATCH:

A video from a nearby Top Golf facility shows players transfixed by the explosion as all activity inside the facility ceased.

Moments later, their fascination turns to horror as they realize the extent of the explosion approaching them, with customers scrambling out of the exit and hopping into their cars.

The affected oil refinery spans two square miles and supplies more than 40% of the jet fuel and more than 20% of the motor vehicle fuel for Southern California, according to the Torrance Police Department. It is the largest oil refinery on the West Coast and is capable of processing 276,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

More than 1,000 employees work the site, along with 1,000 contractors on any given day. The refinery also carries its own fire department staff and 24-hour fire response team.

Live feeds reviewed by the Daily Mail show that the blaze continued for more than two hours after igniting.

Julian Reese, 13, said he and his father felt the blast before running outside to see the biblical night storm.

“I thought we got nuked or something,” said Mark Rogers, a resident playing a soccer game in his adult league in nearby Aviation Park, just a few miles away from ground zero.