About 40,000 residents in Southern California were under evacuation orders Friday after an overheating storage tank containing a hazardous industrial chemical raised fears of a potentially dangerous leak or explosion at an aerospace manufacturing facility in Orange County.
The emergency centered on a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, roughly 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles, where a storage tank holding between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate began overheating Thursday and venting vapors into the air, authorities said. Evacuation orders were expanded Friday to include parts of Garden Grove, Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Stanton and Westminster as emergency crews struggled to contain the situation. The Associated Press reported that schools in the affected area were also closed as a precaution.
Officials said the tank remained unstable and could either rupture and release thousands of gallons of chemicals or explode, creating additional risks for nearby storage tanks and surrounding communities. Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said emergency responders were working with specialists from across California and the United States to identify options for safely stabilizing the tank, according to Reuters.
Firefighters spent Friday spraying water on the tank using remotely operated equipment designed to keep crews at a safe distance. The cooling operation helped reduce temperatures inside the vessel and gave responders additional time to develop a longer-term solution.
The chemical involved, methyl methacrylate, is widely used in the production of plastics, resins and aerospace components. Health officials warned that prolonged exposure to the chemical's vapors could cause respiratory irritation and other health problems. Despite those concerns, air monitoring equipment had not detected hazardous vapor levels outside the immediate incident area as of Friday, according to Reuters.
Authorities established evacuation shelters in Garden Grove, Anaheim and Cypress for displaced residents. Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra said the evacuation zone encompasses approximately 40,000 people, though some residents had declined to leave despite repeated warnings from local officials.
The incident began Thursday when responders were called to the aerospace facility after the tank started venting vapors. Initial evacuation orders were later expanded after officials received updated information indicating the risk of explosion was greater than previously believed, according to The Guardian. The newspaper reported that concerns intensified after a damaged valve complicated efforts to safely manage the contents of the tank.
Emergency crews also built containment barriers around the site to prevent any chemical release from entering storm drains or nearby waterways. Authorities said protecting surrounding neighborhoods and critical infrastructure remained a priority while efforts continued to stabilize the tank, according to The Associated Press.
The evacuation marked one of the largest public safety responses in Southern California in recent years. The incident comes at a time when emergency management agencies across the United States have faced heightened scrutiny over industrial safety and hazardous materials preparedness following a series of chemical plant accidents and infrastructure-related emergencies. However, officials have not linked the Garden Grove incident to any broader security concerns or external threats.
GKN Aerospace said the safety of employees, residents and emergency responders remained its top priority and that it was cooperating with local authorities overseeing the response, according to The Associated Press.
As emergency operations continued Friday evening, officials maintained evacuation orders and urged residents to remain outside the designated hazard zone while crews worked to prevent the tank from failing. Authorities said air quality monitoring and cooling operations remained ongoing throughout the day, according to ABC News.
