Staff and wire
Mar. 25, 2004 12:00 AM

Fires at a Royal Dutch/Shell Group refinery in California on Tuesday are unlikely to affect Arizona gas prices long term, AAA-Arizona says.

The three small fires shut down one unit that makes higher-value diesel fuel and gasoline at the refinery in Wilmington.

Other units continue to operate, the company said.

AAA-Arizona spokesman David Cowley said there were reports that prices rose 7 cents a gallon in Los Angeles after the fires. But he said the unit appears to have been blending gas for the Southern California market.

Fires at a Royal Dutch/Shell Group refinery in California on Tuesday are unlikely to affect Arizona gas prices long term, AAA-Arizona says.

"It is unlikely to have long-term effects because it doesn’t appear to be a major catastrophe," he said. Decisions by OPEC will have a bigger effect on gas prices, he added.