Authorities in Southern California raced on Friday to keep a chemical storage tank from failing or exploding after it overheated and began venting vapors at a plastics facility in Garden Grove, an Orange County Fire Authority official said. Officials said about 40,000 people were under evacuation orders in the area, and neighboring cities were added after crews were unable to stop the leak overnight.
The tank at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft, held between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons (22,700 and 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, according to the local fire authority. Craig Covey said the tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors into the air, prompting authorities to respond as they worked to prevent an escalation.
Covey said the tank could fail and crack, releasing the chemical onto the ground, or it could explode. “This thing is going to fail, and we don’t know when,” Covey said. “We’re doing our best to figure out when or how we can prevent it.”
Evacuation orders were initially issued for residents of Garden Grove, about 38 miles (61 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles and next to Anaheim. Officials expanded the orders Friday to some residents of five other Orange County cities: Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster, after crews could not stop the leak overnight on the tank at GKN Aerospace.
Orange County health officials warned that the vapors could be harmful if the chemical heats further. Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the county health officer, said that if the chemical heats up, it can release vapor that affects people’s health and can cause respiratory issues, itching and burning eyes, nausea and headaches.
Crews set up containment measures as they worked to stabilize the situation. Covey said crews had created containment barriers with sandbags in case of a chemical spill from the tank, aimed at preventing the toxic chemical from reaching storm drains, creeks, or the nearby ocean.
By later Friday afternoon, Covey said crews were able to maintain the tank’s temperature, buying time to figure out how to fix it. He also said crews had initially been successful in neutralizing one of two damaged tanks, but determined Friday morning that the remaining tank was “in the biggest crisis.”
GKN Aerospace said its hazardous-material teams were assessing the situation. In an emailed statement, a company spokesperson said there are “no reports of injuries at this time” and that its priority “remains the safety of our employees, responders, and the surrounding community,” adding that the company would provide “verified updates as soon as more information becomes available.”
In Garden Grove, residents described being abruptly told to leave. Danny Pham said his roommate woke him around 7 a.m. Friday, telling him he needed to leave immediately, and Pham said he grabbed only his wallet and passport and went to stay with a friend; he said by Friday afternoon he was still trying to figure out where he would spend the night.
Kim Yen, a retiree in Garden Grove, said she heard a sirenlike sound from her phone on Thursday night when an alert told her to leave her home, which was about two blocks from the leak. Yen said police officers went door to door to ensure residents evacuated, and Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein said the orders were in place for residents’ safety.
Local Vietnamese television stations translated updates from officials and urged residents to take the situation seriously, as authorities worked to contain the risk while the evacuation orders remained in effect.