Tin tức đầy đủ về tai nạn bình chứa chất hóa học tại Nam Cali (Vùng Little Saigon) bị xì hơi độc khiến khoảng 44.000 người phải bỏ nhà lánh nạn

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Tin tức đầy đủ về tai nạn bình chứa chất hóa học tại Nam Cali (Vùng Little Saigon) bị xì hơi độc khiến khoảng 44.000 người phải bỏ nhà lánh nạn

Nguồn tin và bản tiếng Anh nguyên văn dưới cùnb.

Sau đây là bản tóm tắt

Hcd (24 May 2026)

Sent from my Galaxy

Dưới đây là phần tóm tắt toàn bộ diễn biến sự kiện khủng hoảng hóa chất tại thành phố Garden Grove một cách chi tiết và dễ hiểu, được trình bày dưới dạng văn bản xuôi để thuận tiện cho việc đọc thành tiếng.

## Bối Cảnh Và Nguyên Nhân Sự Cố

Sự cố xảy ra tại nhà máy GKN Aerospace, tọa lạc trên đường Western Avenue thuộc thành phố Garden Grove. Đây là một cơ sở lớn chuyên sản xuất các linh kiện nhựa acrylic, vòm kính phi cơ quân sự và cửa sổ máy bay thương mại. Vào khoảng ba giờ ba mươi phút chiều Thứ Năm, ngày hai mươi mốt tháng Năm, lực lượng cứu hỏa đã nhận được tin báo về một vụ rò rỉ hóa chất tại đây. Qua kiểm tra, cơ quan chức năng xác định một bồn chứa lớn đang gặp nguy hiểm. Bồn chứa này có dung tích ba mươi bốn ngàn gallon, hiện còn chứa khoảng sáu ngàn đến bảy ngàn gallon chất methyl methacrylate, gọi tắt là chất M-M-A. Đây là một loại chất lỏng rất độc hại, dễ bay hơi và dễ bốc cháy, được dùng trong kỹ nghệ chế tạo đồ nhựa.

Đến Thứ Bảy, ngày hai mươi ba tháng Năm, các nhân viên cứu hỏa đã tìm ra nguyên nhân cốt lõi của cuộc khủng hoảng. Hệ thống làm mát nội bộ của bồn chứa này đã bị hỏng từ ngày Thứ Thuớ, gây ra phản ứng tự tăng nhiệt. Phản ứng hóa học sinh nhiệt này làm cho chất M-M-A bên trong bắt đầu đông cứng lại và làm nghẹt hoàn toàn các van an toàn. Do các van đã bị bít kín, các toán kỹ thuật không thể hút bớt hóa chất độc hại ra ngoài, cũng như không thể bơm thêm các chất trung hòa vào bên trong để làm dịu phản ứng.

## Mối Đe Dọa Khẩn Cấp Và Diễn Biến Nhiệt Độ

Chỉ huy trưởng lực lượng cứu hỏa hạt Orange cho biết bồn chứa này đang nằm trong tình trạng vô cùng nguy kịch. Nếu không có một giải pháp can thiệp đặc biệt nào khác, bồn chứa chắc chắn sẽ bị hỏng và chỉ dẫn đến hai viễn cảnh rất tồi tệ. Kịch bản thứ nhất là áp suất quá cao sẽ làm nứt vỡ bồn, khiến toàn bộ số hóa chất độc hại tràn ra bãi đậu xe. Kịch bản thứ hai, cũng là điều đáng sợ nhất, là bồn chứa sẽ rơi vào trạng thái mất kiểm soát nhiệt độ, dẫn đến một vụ nổ lớn áp lực kinh hoàng.

Theo sơ đồ vùng ảnh hưởng do giới chức công bố, nếu vụ nổ xảy ra, nó sẽ tạo thành một quả cầu lửa khổng lồ. Toàn bộ nhà máy và những ngôi nhà ở xung quanh trong vòng bán kính ba trăm ba mươi mét sẽ bị tàn phá nặng nề. Vùng thiệt hại vừa phải sẽ lan rộng trong phạm vi năm trăm mét, và thiệt hại nhẹ do sóng chấn động có thể ảnh hưởng xa tới hơn sáu trăm mét. Vụ nổ cũng sẽ làm ảnh hưởng dây chuyền đến các bồn chứa nhiên liệu khác ở lân cận.

Vào đêm Thứ Sáu, các toán cứu hỏa đã dùng thiết bị cảm ứng nhiệt trên máy bay không người lái để đo đạc và báo cáo tin vui là nhiệt độ bên ngoài vỏ bồn đã giảm xuống còn mười sáu độ C, tiệm cận mức an toàn là mười độ C. Tuy nhiên, đến sáng Thứ Bảy, một toán nhân viên đã dũng cảm tiến vào gần để kiểm tra trực tiếp bảng đồng hồ cơ học được gắn trên thân bồn. Lúc này, họ mới phát hiện ra một sự thật đáng lo ngại: máy bay không người lái chỉ đo được nhiệt độ mát mẻ ở lớp vỏ ngoài đang được phun nước, trong khi nhiệt độ thực tế ở bên trong lòng bồn đã tăng vọt lên tới ba mươi hai độ C và vẫn tiếp tục tăng đều đặn khoảng không phẩy năm độ C sau mỗi giờ. Để hiểu rõ mức độ nguy hiểm, cần biết rằng điểm sôi của chất M-M-A là một mươi mốt độ C, và chiếc đồng hồ đo này chỉ hiển thị tối đa được đến một trăm độ C.

Để đối phó, lực lượng cứu hỏa đã thiết lập hệ thống phun nước tự động kết hợp với các vòi phun tự hành dưới mặt đất để xịt nước liên tục nhằm kìm giữ nhiệt độ bên trong ở mức ổn định xung quanh ba mươi hai độ C. Cứ mười phút một lần, các nhân viên lại phải kiểm tra nhiệt độ để canh chừng. Cơ quan cứu hỏa cũng đã đặt ra một hạn mức nhiệt độ nguy hiểm. Nếu bồn chứa vượt quá mức này, toàn bộ các lực lượng cứu hộ sẽ lập tức rút lui ra ngoài để bảo toàn mạng sống, bỏ mặc cho bồn tự vỡ hoặc tự nổ. Trước tình hình bế tắc này, Thống đốc tiểu bang California, ông Gavin Newsom, đã ban bố tình trạng khẩn cấp cho hạt Orange vào trưa Thứ Bảy, đồng thời huy động Văn phòng Dịch vụ Khẩn cấp của tiểu bang phối hợp chặt chẽ với địa phương.

## Tác Động Đến Sức Khỏe Và Môi Trường

Về mặt sức khỏe, bác sĩ trưởng Ty Y Tế hạt Orange cảnh báo rằng khi chất M-M-A phản ứng và bốc hơi vào không khí, nếu người dân hít phải sẽ bị tổn thương hệ hô hấp nghiêm trọng. Các triệu chứng ban đầu bao gồm ho, khó thở, tức ngực, kích ứng mắt, mũi, cổ họng, kèm theo nhức đầu và buồn nôn. Nếu tiếp xúc trong thời gian dài, nạn nhân sẽ có cảm giác chóng mặt, xây xẩm giống như bị say rượu, và về lâu dài có thể gây tổn thương cho các cơ quan nội tạng. Nếu bồn chứa phát nổ hoặc rò rỉ lớn, hơi độc tỏa ra sẽ có mùi trái cây rất đậm và nồng.

Cơ quan Bảo vệ Môi trường Hoa Kỳ và Cơ quan Quản lý Chất lượng Không khí Miền Nam California đã khẩn trương vào cuộc. Tính đến tối Thứ Bảy, các cơ quan này đã đặt hai mươi bốn trạm quan trắc cố định xung quanh khu vực và cho xe chuyên dụng chạy vòng quanh rìa vùng di tản để đo đạc liên tục. Giới chức thông báo tin mừng là hiện tại họ chưa phát hiện thấy bất kỳ chất độc hại nào trong không khí, mức độ ô nhiễm vẫn hoàn toàn bình thường. Lực lượng chuyên môn đang áp dụng một số thiết bị đặc biệt để chặn đứng không cho hơi độc thoát ra ngoài vỏ bồn. Do hướng gió thổi nhẹ theo hướng tây nam, các chuyên gia đang theo dõi sát diễn biến thời tiết để phòng ngừa trường hợp gió lùa hơi độc đi xa nếu có sự cố xảy ra.

## Lệnh Di Tản Và Đời Sống Người Dân

Do nguy cơ thảm họa quá lớn, một lệnh di tản quy mô diện rộng đã được ban hành bắt đầu từ Thứ Sáu cho toàn bộ khu vực phía bắc đường Garden Grove Boulevard, phía đông đường Springdale Avenue, phía tây đường Dale Street và phía nam đường Orangewood Avenue. Lệnh di tản này làm đảo lộn cuộc sống của khoảng bốn mươi ngàn cư dân thuộc nhiều phần của sáu thành phố lân cận nhau bao gồm Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park và Westminster. Thậm chí, để giữ an toàn tuyệt đối, cơ quan giao thông đã cho phong tỏa các lối định rẽ của xa lộ hai mươi hai đi qua các đường Beach Boulevard, Knott Avenue và Valley View Street. Đường Beach Boulevard cũng bị cấm hoàn toàn đoạn từ đường Garden Grove Boulevard đến đường Orangewood Avenue.

Cuộc di tản diễn ra vô cùng khẩn cấp và gây nhiều hoang mang cho người dân ngay trước kỳ nghỉ lễ Chiến Sĩ Trận Vong. Nhiều cư dân than phiền rằng họ chỉ nghe thấy tiếng loa thông báo từ trực thăng hoặc được hàng xóm đập cửa gọi nhau chạy trốn chứ không nhận được thông tin kịp thời từ hệ thống nhắn tin điện thoại của thành phố. Nhiều gia đình chỉ kịp vơ vội vài bộ quần áo, giấy tờ quan trọng rồi bỏ chạy, bỏ lại tài sản và thậm chí không kịp mang theo thẻ căn cước hay thức ăn cho thú nuôi. Nhiều người bày tỏ sự tức giận khi một cơ sở chứa hóa chất nguy hiểm như vậy lại nằm ngay giữa một khu dân cư đông đúc. Giới chức cảnh sát đã phải tăng cường các toán tuần tra ngày đêm trong vùng di tản để ngăn ngừa tình trạng trộm cắp lợi dụng nhà trống để hôi của.

Do sự cố kéo dài sang ngày thứ ba, các trung tâm lánh nạn do Hội Chữ Thập Đỏ thiết lập đã nhanh chóng rơi vào tình trạng quá tải. Trung tâm đầu tiên tại tòa nhà Freedom Hall thuộc công viên Mile Square Park ở Fountain Valley, với hai trăm giường xếp, đã chật kín chỗ ngay từ đêm Thứ Sáu. Nhiều gia đình đến muộn đã phải chấp nhận ngủ qua đêm trong xe hơi ngay tại bãi đậu xe. Một trung tâm khác ở Cypress cũng đã phải đóng cửa để điều chuyển người dân sang các địa điểm mới. Đến Thứ Bảy, Hội Chữ Thập Đỏ đã phải mở thêm tổng cộng bốn trung tâm lánh nạn tại các trường trung học John F. Kennedy ở La Palma, trường Savanna ở Anaheim, và hai trường Ocean View cũng như Golden West College ở Huntington Beach. Tại các nơi này, người dân được cung cấp giường xếp, chăn màn, thức ăn nhẹ và nước uống. Những người có mang theo thú cưng như chó, mèo cũng được Cơ quan Chăm sóc Động vật hạt Orange trợ giúp nơi ăn chốn ở riêng.

Bên cạnh đó, việc tìm kiếm khách sạn để lánh nạn cũng gặp rất nhiều khó khăn và tốn kém do rơi đúng vào dịp lễ, giá phòng bị đẩy lên gấp ba, gấp bốn lần ngày thường, dao động từ hai trăm đến bốn trăm Mỹ kim một đêm, chưa kể chi phí phụ thu cho thú cưng và tiền đậu xe.

## Ảnh Hưởng Đến Sinh Hoạt Cộng Đồng Và Bầu Cử

Dù cuộc khủng hoảng hóa chất đang diễn ra gay gắt ở phía bên kia thị trấn, Ban Tổ chức Lễ hội Dâu tây lần thứ sáu mươi sáu của Garden Grove thông báo họ vẫn tiếp tục duy trì các hoạt động vui chơi, gian hàng ẩm thực và trò chơi hội chợ tại số mười hai ngàn bảy trăm ba mươi hai đường Main Street, vì địa điểm này nằm cách xa vùng nguy hiểm nhiều dặm và luồng khói nếu có nổ cũng không bay về hướng này. Tuy nhiên, sau khi thảo luận với giới chức thành phố và cảnh sát trưởng, ban tổ chức đã đưa ra quyết định khó khăn là hủy bỏ cuộc diễn hành truyền thống vào sáng Thứ Bảy để nhường lại lực lượng an ninh và cứu hỏa tập trung giải quyết sự cố. Do tâm lý lo ngại, số lượng người tham dự lễ hội năm nay đã sụt giảm nghiêm trọng, vắng vẻ hơn rất nhiều so với mức hai trăm ngàn đến ba trăm ngàn du khách của mọi năm.

Sự cố cũng gây ảnh hưởng trực tiếp đến công tác bầu cử sơ bộ ngày hai tháng Sáu. Do Trung tâm Thể thao và Giải trí Garden Grove đang được trưng dụng làm nơi di tản, phòng phiếu chuẩn bị mở cửa tại đây vào Thứ Bảy đã bị đóng cửa vô thời hạn. Phòng phiếu thay thế gần nhất được chuyển sang Tòa nhà Cộng đồng Miriam Warne ở thành phố Westminster. Ngoài ra, ba thùng nhận phiếu bầu đặt ngoài trời nằm trong vùng di tản tại thư viện Stanton, Trung tâm Công giáo Các Thánh Tử Đạo Việt Nam ở Westminster và công viên Chapman Sports Park ở Garden Grove cũng tạm thời ngưng hoạt động. Cử tri được khuyến khích gởi phiếu qua bưu điện hoặc sử dụng một trăm hai mươi lăm thùng phiếu khác trong hạt.

## Trách Nhiệm Pháp Lý Và Hướng Giải Quyết Tiếp Theo

Về khía cạnh pháp lý và điều tra, công ty GKN Aerospace, có trụ sở chính tại Vương quốc Anh, đang đối mặt với sự giận dữ lớn từ công luận và giới chức. Hồ sơ cho thấy vào tháng Giêng năm hai mươi hai mươi lăm, công ty này từng phải chung tiền phạt hơn chín trăm ngàn Mỹ kim cho Cơ quan Quản lý Chất lượng Không khí vì hàng loạt vi phạm liên quan đến giấy phép, không lưu trữ hồ sơ khí thải độc hại và vi phạm mức thải khí nitơ oxit từ năm hai mươi hai mươi. Nhà máy này cũng từng bị cơ quan an toàn lao động liên bang kiểm tra bốn lần từ năm hai mươi mười tám và bị phát hiện mười lỗi vi phạm, bao gồm việc không bảo trì máy móc theo đúng tiêu chuẩn của nhà sản xuất.

Dân biểu Liên bang Derek Tran, đại diện cho khu vực hạt Orange, cho biết ông đã làm việc với ban lãnh đạo công ty và yêu cầu họ phải chịu hoàn toàn trách nhiệm về sự hoảng loạn và những thiệt hại, chi phí mà hàng chục ngàn người dân đang phải gánh chịu. Thượng nghị sĩ tiểu bang Tom Umberg cũng khẳng định sẽ nỗ lực bắt kẻ có lỗi phải bồi thường thỏa đáng cho người dân. Trong khi đó, Biện lý cuộc hạt Orange đã lập tức lập ra một đường dây điện thoại nóng và trang mạng nhận tin báo nặc danh để kêu gọi bất kỳ ai có tài liệu về quy trình vận hành, bảo trì cẩu thả của nhà máy này hãy cung cấp cho cơ quan luật pháp để phục vụ công tác điều tra hình sự.

Về hướng giải quyết kỹ thuật, các giới chức hạt Orange thừa nhận họ đang ở trong một tình thế bế tắc chưa từng có tiền lệ khi không thể chọn giải pháp để mặc cho bồn chứa tự tràn hay tự nổ. Hiện tại, Ban Giám sát hạt Orange cùng các kỹ sư phòng cháy chữa cháy đang phối hợp với các chuyên gia hóa chất hàng đầu trên toàn quốc để khẩn trương tìm kiếm một phương án thứ ba. Một trong những ý tưởng táo bạo đang được thảo luận là tìm cách cô lập và đóng băng lượng chất lỏng này, hoặc dùng phản ứng phụ để biến nó thành thể rắn an toàn ngay bên trong bồn, nhằm triệt tiêu hoàn toàn nguy cơ phát nổ. Tuy nhiên, giới chức vẫn chưa thể đưa ra bất kỳ mốc thời gian cụ thể nào về việc khi nào cuộc khủng hoảng mới kết thúc và bao giờ người dân mới có thể an toàn trở về nhà.

Subject: Garden Grove chemical crisis: Live evacuation maps, closures and updates - Los Angeles Times - Reading Mode

https://www.latimes.com/california/live/garden-grove-gas-leak-live-evacuation-maps-closures-and-updates

Garden Grove chemical crisis: Live evacuation maps, closures and updates - Los Angeles Times

Air quality ‘completely normal’ for now, official says, as fire crews try to defuse Garden Grove crisis

Emergency officials said Saturday evening they’d detected no contaminants in the air as they struggled to deal with a tank full of toxic chemicals in Garden Grove that threatened to leak or explode.

The tank at GKN Aerospace contains 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate that is steadily increasing in temperature. Fire officials have warned that, absent a drastic intervention, the chemicals would either leak or blow up.

As Orange County officials consulted with experts on how to defuse the crisis, Jason Low, deputy executive officer for South Coast Air Quality Management District, said his agency started measuring for pollutants Friday in the evacuation zone, which includes parts of Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster.

“We are happy to report that levels are completely normal,” Low said in a videotaped statement.

Harry Allen, an official with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said his team hasn’t detected any contaminants in the air either. The EPA has deployed 24 stationary air monitors that will continue to measure air quality, he said.

Allen added that the EPA is using “special equipment” to “ensure that no gas is released from the tank.” He didn’t elaborate.

New evacuation shelter opened in Huntington Beach as Garden Grove chemical crisis persists

Authorities have opened a new evacuation center at Golden West College in Huntington Beach as thousands of people remain displaced by a dangerous chemical crisis in Garden Grove.

An estimated 40,000 residents have been told to evacuate parts of Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster near GKN Aerospace, where a tank full of toxic chemicals is in danger of leaking or exploding.

On Saturday evening, the Orange County Fire Authority said the American Red Cross had set up a shelter in the Golden West College gymnasium at 15744 Goldenwest St. in Huntington Beach.

Fire officials described the shelter as a “congregate dormitory” and asked that people bring their medications. They urged the public not to bring unsolicited donations to the shelter.

Garden Grove Strawberry Festival still on, despite canceled parade

two girls take selfies with ice cream cones at a festival

Anahi Ramirez, 14, of Garden Grove, and Alexa Hernandez, 17, of Santa Ana, take selfies with ice cream cones during Garden Grove Strawberry Festival on Saturday.

(Scott Strazzante/For The Times)

By Andrew Turner

Garden Grove’s 66th annual Strawberry Festival has continued over Memorial Day weekend, even as the city draws national attention for a gas leak on the other side of town.

The festival has everything its loyal followers have come to expect: carnival games and rides, a wide variety of food, and a handful of contests scheduled throughout the four-day event.

Organizers, however, made the call to cancel the parade, which traditionally runs on Saturday morning along a one-mile route that includes portions of Chapman Avenue and Euclid Street.

“We were watching what was occurring, and once we saw 40,000 people were being removed from their homes, we were expecting a call, and we received a call,” said Steve Sanders, president of the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival Assn. “We had a board conference call with the city manager, the assistant city manager and the chief of police.

“We’re away from everything. We’re miles away from it. Even if they have an explosion, the plume of it is not expected to come to this area, but we know how things can change. We had that discussion last night about manpower and what they were doing, and they wouldn’t be able to adequately provide safety.”

Sanders, a retired lieutenant from the Garden Grove Police Department, said the festival was in communication with public safety leaders as the hazardous materials incident at GKN Aerospace developed. The demand on city resources greatly factored into the decision to call off the procession.

“We’re not going to put out any product that’s going to jeopardize our community, so we made the hard choice to cancel the parade. We’ve been here 66 years, and this is the first time — we lost two years to COVID — but we’re going to do what’s best for the community.”

While the festival carried on, Sanders said attendance was down for the event, which generally draws between 200,000 to 300,000 people over four days.

“We are way down on our numbers,” Sanders said. “I’ve been here since 1981. I’ve never seen a Saturday as sparsely attended as it is right now.”

Leo and Drew Espinoza look at their ride tickets at the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival

Leo and Drew Espinoza look at their ride tickets at the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival on Saturday.

(Scott Strazzante/For The Times)

Admission is free for the festival, which is located at 12732 Main St. in Garden Grove. Sunday’s operating hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The gates are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday.

Yadira Gonzalez, 33, of Garden Grove, said her father was evacuated, but she wasn’t about to miss the festival that has long been a part of her life.

“It’s just like an every-year thing,” Gonzalez said while enjoying a snack with her boyfriend Ernie Ruiz, who was celebrating his 37th birthday. “Every year since I was maybe 7. Same for the parade. It was going to the parade every Saturday morning.”

The festival still drew a regional audience. Veronica Garcia, 52, of Tustin, and her son, Massimiliano, both held a large strawberry lemonade as they walked past a row of vendors. Their feast also included baked potatoes and taquitos.

“At one point, either you have to risk it, or you just stay inside,” Garcia said, adding that the event was happening outside the scope of the evacuation zone. “You stay locked up every single day because every single day, there’s something new going on.”

Explosion would cause significant damage around Garden Grove plant, blast zone map shows

If the failing chemical tank in Orange County does explode, the aerospace plant where it sits and dozens of homes surrounding it could suffer severe damage, according to a map released by authorities Saturday.

Areas within roughly 1,100 feet of the tank would suffer severe damage; and beyond that, areas within about 0.3 miles, moderate damage; and beyond that, areas within about 0.4 miles, light damage, from the blast.

Read the full story

Fire officials ask experts to ‘think completely outside the box’ in Garden Grove crisis

Orange County fire officials on Saturday said they brought in experts to ‘think completely outside the box’ as the crisis involving a damaged tank of hazardous chemicals in Garden Grove stretched into a second day.

A day earlier, Craig Covey, a division chief for the Orange County Fire Authority, warned the tank at GKN Aerospace containing 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, or MMA, was going to leak or explode.

Either outcome would be “catastrophic,” Covey warned. MMA can cause severe respiratory problems, Orange County’s chief healthcare officer warned, and the spilled chemical would damage the local environment.

Covey said if the tank explodes, it would create a “fireball” in the surrounding residential community. An estimated 40,000 people have been asked to evacuate swaths of Garden Grove, Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Stanton and Westminster.

“This thing is going to fail,” Covey said Friday. “We don’t know when.”

In a videotaped statement Saturday evening, Covey offered few concrete updates. He said fire officials were flying drones over the tanks every 10 minutes to assess its temperature, which has been rising since Thursday.

“The primary focus is the tanks,” Covey said. “We’re continuing to keep them cool and monitor them.”

Orange County officials on Saturday brought in experts from across the state to come up with solutions that might stave off a leak or an explosion, Covey said.

“We’re going to chase down those concepts,” he said, without specifying what they were. “Sitting back and allowing these tanks to fail is unacceptable.”

Garden Grove evacuees face overflowing shelters, sleep in cars: ‘It’s too much’

Evacuees pass the time at an evacuation center at the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center

Evacuees at an evacuation center at the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center on Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

By Eric Licas

Emergency lodging for as many as 40,000 people displaced by a chemical leak at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove quickly filled with evacuees ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, but more were opened to accommodate them.

There had been around 200 cots available at the shelter set up in Freedom Hall at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley. But it has been at capacity since Friday evening, American Red Cross volunteer Larry Fortmuller told The Times, as anxious families asked when they would be able to go home.

He described the process of checking in hundreds of freshly displaced residents as “fraught.”

“This was difficult because it happened so quickly and it happened at night, and that certainly adds to the challenges,” Fortmuller said.

There are four shelters opened by the American Red Cross so far, Fortmuller said. Cots were still available at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach as of 12 p.m. Saturday.

Trang Nguyen, 50, and Sean Vo, 56, live about 20 minutes walking distance from the tank. They and their family initially took refuge at Bolsa Chica High School and were told to move to Freedom Hall, but the shelter was full by the time they arrived at around 10 p.m.

Volunteers advised Nguyen and Vo to relocate to Ocean View High again. The family of five was exhausted, so they decided to crash in their two cars in the parking lot outside of the Freedom Hall shelter.

“It’s too much for us, shipped back and forth here and there, you know,” Nguyen said.

Lizzy Aguilar, 20, and her grandparents, 63-year-old Maria Aguilar and 64-year-old Juan Aguilar, slept at a motel Friday night. They returned to Freedom Hall at 10 a.m. Saturday, and planned to wait there for updates on when they might be able to go back to their house in Stanton.

“I’m seven months pregnant with twins, so this is an inconvenience,” Aguilar said. “I’ve got doctor’s appointment. I could go into labor any day now, actually, so that’s a bit of a scary thing.”

She and her grandparents were also concerned about any potential long-term health consequences that may result from the gas leak. They were unsure if or how the chemicals their neighborhood was exposed to might affect her unborn children.

“It’s just very weird something like this happens so close to the house and neighborhoods,” Aguilar said. “I don’t think most people who live near the tank even know something was there. I don’t think anyone knew this was ever a possibility.”

Nguyen and Vo said they weren’t aware of the hazardous chemicals being stored near their homes. They said they couldn’t consider moving and were worried about the possibility of a similar leak in the future.

“I really believe that is one of the issues that, as an elected official, I think we need to discuss in the near future,” California Assemblymember Tri Tra told The Times Saturday.

He and State Sen. Tony Strickland represent areas impacted by the leak and were at the Freedom Hall shelter to touch base with evacuees and volunteers Saturday morning.

GKN Aerospace settled with air regulators in 2025

The company at the center of the chemical crisis, United Kingdom-based GKN Aerospace, manufactures landing gears, jet engines and other materials for commercial and military aircraft.

In January 2025, the company settled with the South Coast Air Quality Management District, or South Coast AQMD, for $909,935.95 over violations of permit requirements, record-keeping requirements and nitrogen oxide emissions, according to a report posted on South Coast AQMD’s website.

AQMD identified a number of violations during a November 2020 on-site inspection at GKN’s Garden Grove location, a spokesperson said Saturday. These included absent emission records for volatile organic compounds and permitting errors.

AQMD also requested operating records and other information from the facility in December 2020 and February 2021, and followed that with a notice of violation in April 2021.

In March 2025, the agency issued notices to GKN requesting operating records and requiring the company to submit an application to register certain equipment and an application for change of ownership for the facility.

“Since the issuance of the [notice of violation], South Coast AQMD has been working closely with GKN to help resolve these permitting issues,” the spokesperson said in an email.

GKN didn’t immediately responded to questions about the settlement on Saturday.

O.C. officials looking for ‘third solution’ to end chemical crisis, consulting with experts nationally

A toxic chemical leaking from a large storage tank at an aerospace facility.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

By Eric Licas

It was unclear as of Saturday afternoon how much longer evacuation orders might remain in place. Allowing the tank to either explode and send a plume of methyl methacrylate into the air or continue to leak appear to be the most viable courses of action so far.

“We are working nationally with experts all across the country trying to find the third solution,” Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen told The Times. “Maybe, if possible, the third solution could be to contain the liquid and freeze or maybe turn it into a solid, we don’t know.”

In the meantime, the Environmental Protection Agency and the South Coast Air Quality Management District have set up equipment to monitor the amount of chemicals in the air.

Nguyen urged any residents who have not evacuated to do so, and reminded those who have evacuated to stay away for their own safety.

“The first priority is to keep you safe,” Huntington Beach Councilwoman Gracey Van Der Mark said.

Additional police patrols have been set up in the evacuation zone to deter looters, Nguyen said. Those with pets can get help finding shelter and supplies for them with the Orange County Animal Care.

Nguyen and Van Der Mark went on to recognize the American Red Cross for quickly mobilizing the set up of shelters, as well as the Huntington Beach Union High School District for making their campuses available for relief efforts.

Both volunteers and evacuees busied themselves Saturday afternoon by setting up cots and lugging boxes of blankets into a shelter set up in the gym at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach.

“It has been encouraging to see communities come together,” Nguyen said. “We were just at the Fountain Valley shelter and people came over to start setting up chairs without being asked. Everybody wants to help.”

She and Van Der Mark visited the high school to hand out toys to children and provide the latest information regarding the chemical leak at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove that has led to the displacement of about 40,000 residents. Dozens of evacuees who were desperate to know when they might be able to go back to their homes huddled around them.

Orange County DA’s Office launches tips hotline to investigate Garden Grove chemical crisis

The Orange County district attorney’s office announced it has opened an anonymous tip hotline and online reporting form to gather information tied to the Garden Grove chemical crisis.

Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer posted the call to action on Instagram, asking “anyone with information related to the circumstances leading up to this incident, including but not limited to specific details of the release, information about the industrial operations of the facility, the quality and frequency of maintenance of the tanks and systems at issue, and any other relevant information at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems” to call the anonymous tip hotline.

Orange County District Attorney Anonymous Tip Hotline: (714) 347-8714

The anonymous online form can be found at www.ocdistrictattorney.gov, and anonymous tips can also be emailed to tip...@ocdistrictattorney.gov

“This information will assist law enforcement in investigating the origin of the event and identify those responsible,” reads the caption on the post.

“Given the very real risk to human life as a result of this event, it is crucial that anyone who has information about this incident or the industrial operations of GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, Inc. come forward and report it so that it can be thoroughly investigated by law enforcement,” said Spitzer.

Evacuees discuss suing GKN Aerospace at shelter: ‘We had to spend our last paycheck’

people sit and talk in the parking lot

(L-R) Andrea Luna and her children Jules Olivas, 22, Jessica Castro, 28, and Josh Olives, 21, all of Anaheim, sit and talk with their 8 cats in the parking lot of Kennedy High School in La Palma, CA, which was converted to a shelter for evacuees from the ongoing hazardous materials incident, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. Jules Olivas said they first evacuated to the Cypress Community Center shelter yesterday but let in the parking lot there after someone set off the smoke detector in a lavatory. “I could not sleep on a cot knowing that an elderly person would need it,’ She said.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Andrea Luna, 47, sat on a camp chair in the parking lot at Kennedy High School. Next to her were several cat carriers carefully arranged atop a blanket spread on the asphalt. Eight cats, Hurley, Fluffy, Foxy, Roxy, Leila, Lydia, Sky and Smokey, mewed occasionally and peered out from the cages. A litter box and some food stood nearby. Luna said they had been periodically switching the cats out to use the litter box.

Luna said someone had remarked to her that it would have been easier for them to leave the cats at home, but that was out of the question if the hazardous vapor filled their neighborhood.

“They have little lungs,” she said.

Luna, her two daughters, her niece and her son slept in two cars overnight at the Cypress Community Center. And at Kennedy on Saturday, they declined their beds, hoping they would go to a family more in need.

The night before, they’d seen elderly people sleeping on plastic chairs at the community center. Some people were alone. Luna said it made her feel grateful to at least have her family with her. Luna’s own elderly mother, who has difficulty walking, was forced to sit in the car for six hours on Friday before Luna’s brother arrived to pick her up and take her to his Fountain Valley home.

Police had arrived at their house and told them gruffly they had to leave. They were given just a few minutes to grab the cats and some cat food. Luna’s daughter Jules Olivas, 22, said she and her sister hadn’t been able to grab their IDs, even in the rush. Her sister’s Starbucks apron was left behind, too, so she had to call off work.

They’d had to spend some $600 dollars after that buying blankets and extra cat carriers at a nearby store.

Olivas said they were grateful to be with each other but that she was angry, too. She hated that her mom was forced to sleep in a car.

“It’s so weird to have something so dangerous in the middle of a suburban neighborhood,” Olivas said. “You don’t see chemicals and weapon manufacturers in Beverly Hills or in Malibu.”

In the parking lot last night, a group of people had started talking about suing the company together.

“They are going to lose a little money, while we had to spend our last paycheck,” Olivas said, through tears. “It’s the company’s fault. They should be out here helping.”

But, she said, the community has stepped up to support one another.

As the family chatted, a woman came by who said she owns a sandwich shop. She offered them some turkey and roast beef sandwiches.

A few minutes later, a woman in a Red Cross shirt asked if they had gotten food. They said they had.

“Everyone is so nice here,” Olivas said.

Kennedy High among new evacuation centers open in response to mass evacuations

Jules Olivas, of Anaheim, sits in her car

Jules Olivas, of Anaheim, sits in her car in the parking lot of Kennedy High School in La Palma, CA, which was converted to a shelter for evacuees from the ongoing hazardous materials incident, on Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

By Andrew Turner

Authorities have opened new emergency shelters to assist displaced residents due to the ongoing hazardous materials incident in Garden Grove.

The Orange County Fire Authority shared via social media on Friday around 11 p.m. that Kennedy High in La Palma had joined a growing list of shelters.

Ocean View High in Huntington Beach became the most recent available shelter on Saturday morning, with Savanna High in Anaheim and Freedom Hall at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley also among those in operation.

Several dozen cars had arrived in the parking lot at Kennedy by 9 a.m., where the American Red Cross was managing an evacuation center inside the gymnasium.

Various groups stopped by to offer support to those running the shelter, including police officers, school site staff, and a couple of workers from a nearby grocery store.

Denise Guerrero, 70, of Garden Grove, said she lived about a block from GKN Aerospace, the plant where the chemical leak triggered some initial temporary evacuations on Thursday.

“We got in here after midnight, like maybe 1 o’clock or so, and didn’t get settled until about 2 a.m.,” said Guerrero, accompanied by her dog Archie, whom she got as a rescue.

“This is stop number six. I’m one of the ones that lives a block away from the silos, and we were evacuated on Thursday afternoon, and coming back Thursday evening, and then to be forced to evacuate on Friday, so it has been an odyssey.”

Guerrero said she was pleased to land at a spot managed by the American Red Cross, with whom she volunteered for the Orange County chapter for 28 years, but she said she felt there was a deficit of information coming from the authorities directly to the evacuees.

She described the scene as everyone going online on their phones, sharing the latest updates they had seen with strangers.

As the evacuation process got underway, Guerrero shared that residents in her neighborhood began notifying each other that it was time to leave.

“I couldn’t smell anything, couldn’t detect anything different than what it is every single day,” Guerrero added. “It took me by surprise. If I hadn’t had my front door open and thought I heard something interfering with what I was doing inside, I would never have known that there was a helicopter on Thursday afternoon telling everybody that we had to evacuate.

“I get AlertOC messages. I didn’t even look at my phone, and it wasn’t until another neighbor was packing, and he [notified me]. Then we started the whole thing of letting other neighbors know. A lot of neighbors are not on AlertOC in our tract, so it was important for a lot of us to reach out to people and get the word out.”

Wall-to-wall cots had been put out in the gym, many evacuees joined by their pets. As it was breakfast time, an assortment of doughnuts, pastries and bottled water had been placed on tables at the back of the room.

“We’re just one, seeing what they have for bedding, so if they are getting full, we’ll have to reach out and try to coordinate with Red Cross to open something else,” Garden Grove Police Lt. Kory Ferrin said. “Other than that, we want to make sure they got all the food that they need, which it sounds like the Red Cross has that handled, or medical supplies. They do a great job. Sounds like they got everything under control. We’re just making rounds to make sure everything’s going right.”

Firefighters stabilize failing tank’s temperature, but dire outcomes remain likely

Evacuation orders were issued for thousands of residents and schools were closed in Garden Grove.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Firefighters have managed to stabilize temperatures inside the compromised tank at around 90 degrees, said Orange County Fire Authority division chief and hazardous materials program manager Nick Freeman.

An on-site sprinkler system supplemented by unmanned ground units supplying additional water was keeping the imperiled tank’s heat steady, Freeman said, following an alarming overnight spike in which internal temperatures rose from 77 degrees. Officials were checking the temperature every 10 minutes.

However, the two most likely outcomes for the disaster at GKN Aerospace are dire ones: a massive explosion of the pressurized tank, or a rupture that spills 7,000 gallons of the toxic chemical methyl methacrylate, or MMA, Freeman said.

“We have all of our folks, and you name it, working on what our other options could be,” he said.

By Saturday afternoon, firefighters had determined that the emergency was triggered by a failure Thursday of the tank’s internal cooling system. The ensuing heat reaction caused the MMA to harden and clog the failing tank’s valves, rendering it impossible for crews to drain the dangerous chemical or add stabilizing agents.

‘It’s a waiting game’: O.C. evacuees navigate the reality of temporary shelter life

Orange County Sheriffs deputies stand guard as evacuees take shelter at the Freedom Hall evacuation center

Orange County Sheriffs deputies stand guard as evacuees take shelter at the Freedom Hall evacuation center at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Cypress Community Center, which had been serving as a shelter for evacuees, had emptied by Saturday morning. A sign outside the building directed visitors to a Red Cross website to find other shelter locations, and an employee at the facility handed out flyers to straggler families with updated shelter locations.

These are shelter locations as of 7 a.m. on Saturday:

John F. Kennedy High School, 8281 Walker St., La Palma

Savanna High School, 301 N. Gilbert St., Anaheim

Oceanview High School, 17071 Gothard St., Huntington Beach

Freedom Hall, 16801 Euclid St., Fountain Valley

Several families huddled at tables outside the shelter. Young children crawled on the ground, playing as their parents discussed.

“The kids are confused, a little worried. They had a lot of questions when we said we had to evacuate,” said Tricia Quach, 38, who had visited the community center to take her daughter to an art class. “Maybe being blown up, that’s a scary situation. But we just assured them it’s for safety reasons.”

She and her husband and two kids, ages five and ten, are staying with a family friend at the moment. With nowhere to go the rest of the day, Quach and her neighbor’s family had decided to hang out at the community center for a few hours after the art class.

“We kind of don’t know what to expect,” said Helen Fernandez, 40, who lives in nearby Quach in Buena Park. “We are just winging it.”

Fernandez’s phone had pinged around 11:30 a.m. Friday with an evacuation order from the city. She and her husband were still at work, and their kids were still in class at their elementary school in Cypress outside the evacuation zone. Fernandez, 40, waited until the end of the day to pack up a few days’ worth of clothing and toiletries and scoop up their three kids.

They had many neighbors who chose not to evacuate because they live just on the border of the evacuation zone. Houses across the street didn’t need to evacuate, Quach said, so they wondered if it was even necessary. But they left to be on the safe side.

There’s no sense of panic, she said.

“There’s no sense of urgency until it leaks or explodes,” she said. “It’s a waiting game to see what’s going to happen.”

Her husband piped up, saying he might check on the house later.

“Maybe I’ll go take a nap there,” he joked.

Yoshi Nakashini, 79, sat at a table outside the Cypress Community Center with his two cats, Melon and Mocha, peering out from their carriers.

He, his girlfriend and her son stayed at a hotel near Disneyland last night. It was pricey, totally around $350 for two rooms to house them and their cats. And parking was another $30 per car.

It was a struggle for them to find a pet-friendly hotel, but his girlfriend’s son eventually found one.

“We just checked out and stopped here to see what’s going on,” Nakashini said. “We don’t know yet what we’ll do.”

Most likely, he said, they’ll hunt for another hotel room.

Sean Tufts, 28, Nakashini’s girlfriend’s son, said the cats had completely different reactions to their new surroundings last night. Mocha had enjoyed the hotel, but Melon was frightened.

“It’s inconvenient,” Tufts said of the evacuation, but mostly he was unfazed.

Asked if he was worried, Nakashini shrugged and tipped his hand to indicate a medium level of nerves.

“We don’t know how serious this incident is,” he said.

Forced from their home, they struggle to find a hotel that takes cats

Yoshi Nakashini, 79, sat at a table outside the Cypress Community Center with his two cats, Melon and Mocha, peering out from their carriers.

He and his girlfriend and her son stayed at a hotel near Disneyland last night. It was pricy, around $350 for two rooms to house them and their cats. And parking was an additional $30 for each of their cars.

It was a struggle for them to find a hotel room that allowed pets, but his girlfriend’s son eventually found it.

“We just checked out and stopped here to see what’s going on,” Nakashini said. “We don’t know yet what we’ll do.”

Most likely, he said they’ll hunt for another hotel room.

Sean Tufts, 28, Nakashini’s girlfriend’s son, said the cats had completely different reactions to their new surroundings last night. Mocha had enjoyed the hotel, but Melon was frightened.

“It’s inconvenient,” Tufts said of the evacuation, but mostly he was unfazed.

Asked if he was worried, Nakashini shrugged and tipped his hand, to indicate a medium level of nerves.

“We don’t know how serious this incident is,” he said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency over Garden Grove chemical leak

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaking in May,. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaking in May,. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

(Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)

On Saturday afternoon, as officials scramble to mitigate a crisis unfolding in Garden Grove, where a massive tank filled with methyl methacrylate is at risk of either exploding or leaking, Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency.

“I’m proclaiming a state of emergency in Orange County as California continues to respond to the hazardous chemical incident in Garden Grove,” the Governor wrote on social media.

According to the post, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has been mobilized for over 24 hours, and state agencies are supporting impacted communities to “protect public safety, and assist local officials as response efforts continue.”

The Governor asked that residents “please continue to follow guidance from emergency officials.”

How we got here: A timeline of the Garden Grove chemical leak

GKN Aerospace Transparency area in Garden Grove, CA.

Evacuation orders were reissued Friday for thousands of residents and schools were closed in Garden Grove due to continued concerns about a toxic chemical leaking from a large storage tank at an aerospace facility.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

The situation around the unstable chemical tank in Garden Grove has rapidly escalated since Thursday.

Here is a timeline of how things have evolved to where tens of thousands of residents have been told to leave their homes.

THURSDAY

Firefighters stand outside a vehicle that says Orange County Fire.

The Orange County Fire Authority responded to a hazard materials incident on Thursday at an aerospace company in Garden Grove.

(OnScene.TV)

3:22 p.m.: The Orange County Fire Authority responded to reports of a hazardous materials incident at a business in the 12000 block of Western Avenue. Upon arriving at the scene, they determined that methyl methacrylate, a volatile liquid used to make plastic, was leaking out of a 34,000-gallon vat.

The incident appeared to take place at GKN Aerospace, which builds engine structures, landing gear and other products for commercial and military aircraft.

5:46 p.m.: OCFA announces evacuations “out of an abundance of caution” for about a block to the east and west of the business and about two blocks to the north and south.

7:11 p.m.: OCFA announces the tank heated up and set off a release valve, which triggered a safety sprinkler system to cool the tank. “Vapor conditions have since improved, indicating the liquid temperature is decreasing,” the agency said.

8:39 p.m.: Evacuations are lifted for most areas except for about a one-block radius around the business. “Returning our community safely to their homes is always a top priority,” OCFA said in a statement. “We appreciate your patience, cooperation, and support as operations continue.”

FRIDAY

GKN Aerospace Transparency area in Garden Grove, CA.

Evacuation orders were reissued Friday for thousands of residents and schools were closed in Garden Grove due to continued concerns about a toxic chemical leaking from a large storage tank.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

6:16 a.m.: OCFA re-issues evacuations. Now for a significantly wider area to the east and west than the previous day.

6:26 a.m.: OCFA said the previous day’s efforts to cool the tank were “successful,” and that crews made “progress toward product removal,” but “an inoperable valve on the tank” has prevented complete mitigation of the hazard.

10:43 a.m.: The agency announces a massive expansion of the evacuation zone in the middle of suburban Orange County, impacting tens of thousands across multiple cities.

11:45 a.m.:Officials release a video explaining the deteriorating situation around the tank and the two variables they appear to face: “It fails, or it blows up.”

2 p.m.: First responders hold a press conference explaining the situation to the public, urging residents to leave if they’re in the evacuation zone. At least 40,000 people are impacted. Evacuation centers are open and announced.

5:09 p.m.: OCFA asks the public to stop calling in and offering solutions.

7:43 p.m. OCFA officials provide a final update for the night, saying “the great news is that our efforts so far have continued to cool the tank. It’s down to a temperature around 61 degrees.” The goal is 50 degrees.

SATURDAY

Evacuees take shelter at the Freedom Hall evacuation center at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley

Evacuees take shelter at the Freedom Hall evacuation center at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley on the third day of a toxic chemical leak at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

9:54 a.m.: On Saturday morning, OCFA said the temperature conditions inside the failing tank had actually worsened. The temperature inside the failing tank is at 90 degrees, up from 77 degrees a day earlier. Temperatures are increasing by about a degree per hour.

Late Friday, firefighters had been relying on drone-based thermometers to estimate the temperature inside the failing tank, which gave a reading of 61 degrees, with 50 degrees being the goal.

But by Saturday, Covey said it became clear that the drone could only measure the temperature on the outside of the tank, not the inside. They made that discovery after a crew was sent in overnight and was able to manually read the temperature gauge showing the failing tank’s interior temperature.

The boiling point of the chemical inside the tank, methyl methacrylate, is 101 degrees Celsius, and the gauge only detects temperatures up to 100 degrees. Officials haven’t disclosed what temperature they believe would indicate an imminent explosion.

12:09 p.m.: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office declares a state of emergency over the Garden Grove incident.

“When I can come back home, is my question?’

a woman sits on a cot wrapped in a red cross blanket

Nathalie, of Anaheim, sits on a cot where she spent the night, along with her son, Abde, 16, seated behind her having evacuated to Freedom Hall, due to the chemical leak, on Saturday in Fountain Valley. Tens of thousands told to evacuate amid concerns over an unstable tank of methyl methacrylate at an aerospace plastics facility.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

When word of the unfolding emergency at nearby GKN Aerospace reached her Thursday, Nathalie — who asked not to share her last name for privacy reasons — decided to keep the news to herself.

Her son Abde, 16, had just finished his sophomore year at Magnolia High School in Anaheim, and she didn’t want to cause him unnecessary anxiety.

By Friday morning, when their phones lit up with an emergency notification, there was no hiding it.

The family’s Anaheim apartment sits about 200 feet outside of the evacuation zone. Nathalie’s eyes were already burning; both of their throats felt irritated from the chemical fumes. They gathered up essential documents and a change of clothes, then headed to the Cypress Community Center to await further instructions.

When night fell, they headed to the American Red Cross-run shelter at Freedom Hall in Fountain Valley’s Mile Square Park. Abde has epilepsy, cerebral palsy and autism, and Nathalie wanted to make sure a nurse would be on hand if any medical issues arose. They were able to get two of the 200 beds at the facility, which filled to capacity in about an hour, Nathalie said.

Volunteers distributed food, blankets and personal care supplies like shampoo. Nathalie, 45, said she was impressed by how welcoming and well-run the shelter was, especially for having been set up so quickly.

“It’s an emergency, so, of course, it’s not easy for everyone,” said Nathalie, 45, by phone from the shelter Saturday. As her phone filled with messages from worried friends and relatives in her native France, Nathalie said she couldn’t help worrying about what the coming days held.

Would looters take advantage of the empty neighborhoods? Was there any resolution to the crisis that wouldn’t leave residents with lingering health hazards?

“When I can come back home, is my question,” she said, before switching into French. “We left our homes, our memories, everything. Is it going to explode? And what will be the consequences for us?”

O.C. fire: Garden Grove tank temperature was not cooling. ‘We did put people in harm’s way last night.’

On Saturday morning, Craig Covey, an Orange County Fire Authority incident commander, said the response team is rushing to find another outcome while the at-risk tank at GKN Aerospace’s temperature appears to be rising by a degree an hour.

Covey said that while the response team reported “positive intel” Friday afternoon, saying the tanks were stable and authorities were able to keep the temperature cool, the drone readings were misleading.

The drone readings did not properly measure the interior temperatures of what the liquid is actually at.

“With that intel and working with the chemist from the emergency response team from the manufacturer, we made a call last night to go back offensive,” Covey said. “Going back offensive, we did put people in harm’s way last night with support of the chemist team, that emergency response team, and our members, we did put them back in harm’s way last night with an attempt to go in and neutralize the additional tank, the 15,000 gallon tank.

“We want to neutralize that product to remove its explosive potential should the 7000 gallon tank blow up, so when the members went in there, they were able to go see the gauge that’s being covered by water. You can’t see it from a distance, you can’t see it from a drone. They were able to go in there and see the gauge and actually see what the internal temperature is of this tank that’s having issues. Unfortunately, I do have to report that the temperature was 90 degrees.

“It’s been averaging about a degree an hour increasing, so that’s the bad news.”

Watch his full statement:

Garden Grove residents express frustration over lack of updates

Garden Grove residents are frustrated with what they say is poor communication from authorities.

On Saturday, the Orange County Fire Authority posted on X that it planned no scheduled press conferences for the day. “We will continue to provide incident updates throughout the day. The next scheduled update will be provided in the 9:00 hour.”

Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein said that a larger briefing is “happening soon” and the city will have an update then.

“As an evacuee, the limited communication we’re receiving is not great,” replied X user Laura G. “Why no overnight statement released updating us on if the temperature continued to lower, etc.?”

One Garden Grove resident said they had elderly parents just outside the evacuation zone, and needed updates and another posted on a Facebook update from Friday, writing, “Dude: Any news? It’s been 14 hours! 40,000 questions!! Please fill us in.”

Another Facebook user responded to the Orange County Fire Authority:

“So here we are on Saturday morning and there’s nothing new to report,” the commenter posted. “The ‘update’ is kinda like that ‘breaking news’ that flashes on the screen right before they use the very same words to tell you the very same thing they have been telling you for hours.

“Does anyone here harken back to Chernobyl?”

What to know about O.C. chemical crisis and your health

Officials trying to cool chemicals at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove.

Officials trying to cool chemicals at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove.

(ONSCENE.TV)

With Memorial Day weekend here, many in Orange County are wondering about the health impacts of the chemical leak at the Garden Grove aerospace facility.

Staying out of the evacuation zone

Officials say the biggest issue is getting people out of the evacuation zone.

“I am very concerned about those who stay,” State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) told The Times on Friday night. “But I’m also concerned about the first responders that something catastrophic happens — and sadly, there’s a fairly significant potentiality of something really bad happening, that those first responders are going to have to risk their lives to go get those people.”

He added that “the overwhelming majority are taking this seriously and evacuated.”

Evacuation orders were issued for the area north of Garden Grove Boulevard, east of Springdale Avenue, west of Dale Street and south of Orangewood Avenue.

Fruity smell

If a damaged chemical tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove explodes, it could emit a toxic vapor that has a “fruity and heavy smell,” Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, Orange County’s health officer, said Friday afternoon.

“Smelling it doesn’t mean you reach a level that causes symptoms, but we don’t want you to smell that, so we need to know if you’re smelling it,” Chinsio-Kwong said in a video posted on social media.

Health concerns

There are three large tanks containing a highly toxic chemical called methyl methacrylate, or MMA, used to make plastic, that are in crisis around the 12000 block of Western Avenue in Garden Grove.

The most compromised tank has about 7,000 gallons of the chemical left in it, authorities have said.

“In this situation, our biggest concern is when this chemical reacts, and the temperatures rise, it can cause a vapor,” Chinsio-Kwong said. “My biggest concern is that if that vapor goes into the air and people inhale that, it causes significant damage.”

She said inhaling the vapor can lead to irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches and nausea. Prolonged exposure can cause a person to feel dizzy or drunk and can cause severe respiratory issues.

In an update on Friday night, Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said emergency crews have been able to maintain the temperature of the tank by continuously spraying it with water.

That “positive news” was “buying us time to continue to sort out: How do we fix this?”

The South Coast Air Quality Management District had not detected the chemical in the air as of Friday afternoon, she said in the video posted just after 4:40 p.m.

“You are all safe as long as you are out of the zone that was determined to be an evacuation zone,” she said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deployed stationary air monitors around the facility to measure levels of airborne chemicals.

The EPA encouraged residents with health and safety concerns to call the Orange County Sheriff’s emergency services hotline at 714-628-7085.

4th shelter opens in Huntington Beach

A fourth shelter for people evacuated in the chemical leak has opened in Huntington Beach.

It is located at Oceanview High School, 17071 Gothard St Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Other shelters:

-Kennedy High School. 8281 Walker St La Palma, CA 90623

-Savanna High School 301 N. Gilbert St., Anaheim

-Freedom Hall 16801 Euclid St., Fountain Valley (at capacity).

O.C. chemical crisis enters Day 3 as officials keep cooling damaged tank

A child reveals his feelings as evacuees gather outside

A child reveals his feelings as evacuees gather outside while taking shelter at the Freedom Hall evacuation center at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley on the third day of a toxic chemical leak at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Portions of six Orange County cities remain evacuated Saturday morning as the chemical crisis entered Day Three.

Here is what you need to know:

Fire crews were making progress lowering the temperature of a chemical tank that is at risk of exploding..

But officials still have not said how long the evacuation will last and whether they have a solution to deal with the tank.

Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said in an update on Friday night that efforts to cool the tank by spraying it with water have been successful.

Officials have been working to come up with what they said were “out of the box” ideas to prevent as much damage as possible.

3rd shelter opens in Orange County

a man sits on the grass with 3 dogs

Evacuees arrive at a shelter after a chemical leak from a large storage tank threatened residents in Garden Grove, California on May 22, 2026. Tens of thousands of people were ordered to leave their homes in California Friday after a huge chemical tank began leaking, with warnings it might blow up, sending toxic fumes over a heavily populated area.

(Blake Fagan/AFP via Getty Images)

Officials announced a third shelter for people displaced by the Orange County chemical crisis.

The new shelter is in La Palma and was opened after a Fountain Valley shelter hit capacity.

-Kennedy High School. 8281 Walker St La Palma, CA 90623

-Savanna High School 301 N. Gilbert St., Anaheim

-Freedom Hall 16801 Euclid St., Fountain Valley (at capacity).

Voting site and ballot boxes near damaged tank temporarily unavailable

Emergency crews spray water at a GKN Aerospace site on May 22, 2026.

Emergency crews spray water at a GKN Aerospace site on May 22, 2026.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

An in-person voting center for the June 2 primary election that was supposed to open Saturday at the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center will be closed until further notice, the Orange County registrar of voters’ office said in a statement.

The site was being used as an evacuation center for residents displaced by the potential explosion of a damaged chemical tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove.

“All voters, including those displaced by the evacuation, may visit any of the 38 vote centers that will be open on May 23 in Orange County to cast their ballot,” the registrar’s office said.

The vote center closest to the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center is at the Miriam Warne Community Building at 14491 Beach Boulevard in Westminster, according to the registrar’s office.

The following ballot drop boxes within the evacuation zone also will be unavailable until further notice:

— Stanton Branch Library at 7850 Katella Ave. in Stanton

— Korean Martyrs Catholic Center at 7655 Trask Ave. in Westminster

— Chapman Sports Park at 11700 Knott Ave. in Garden Grove

Voters can use any of the other 125 ballot drop boxes in the county to cast their ballot, or they can do so by mail, the registrar’s office said.

Voters who are evacuated and do not have their ballots may request replacement ballots at any vote center.

The registrar “is actively monitoring the situation to determine whether additional voting operations will be impacted,” the statement said.

‘Everything will change.’ Evacuees fearful amid chemical leak

California State Sen. Tony Strickland talks with evacuees

California State Sen. Tony Strickland talks with evacuees sheltering at the Freedom Hall evacuation center at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, on the third day of a toxic chemical leak at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

By Eric Licas

Families evacuated from their homes milled about the lobby and parking lot of the Cypress Community Center on Friday night waiting for any updates about the leaking chemical tank that sent them fleeing earlier that day.

Some stayed glued to their phones. Others took inventory of the hastily packed belongings in their trunks or snoozed as comfortably as they could in plastic chairs at the evacuation site.

Jude Thomas and his family were some of the first people evacuated on Thursday afternoon when firefighters first responded to the plant following a report of an issue with the tanks.

They were briefly allowed to return to their apartment that evening, only to receive instructions to leave again early Friday.

Thomas has lived less than a mile from GKN Aerospace for about six years and had never given much thought to their proximity.

His son had raised concerns about whether it was safe to live that close to the facility shortly after they moved in, but he dismissed them, he said.

“Everything will change, for sure, once this is done,” Thomas said. “We will think about moving out from there.”

Congressman urges GKN Aerospace to ‘take full responsibility’

Rep. Derek Tran speaks at the Calif. Democratic convention at the Anaheim Convention Center on May 31, 2025.

Rep. Derek Tran speaks at the California Democratic Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center on in May 2025.

(Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)

Congressman Derek Tran, an Orange County Democrat, said Friday night that he had spoken with the leadership of GKN Aerospace — the company whose damaged tank in Garden Grove is at risk of exploding or leaking toxic chemicals.

Tran, whose district includes Garden Grove, said in a social media post that he had “urged the company to take full responsibility for the panic and disruption that tens of thousands of residents are currently experiencing.”

“We agreed the priority is the safety of the community and addressing the urgent crisis at hand,” Tran wrote.

“I’m continuing to work with emergency personnel to ensure that residents are safe and have the resources they need while officials work to mitigate the impacts of the hazmat incident.”

A spokesperson for GKN Aerospace told The Times on Friday that they are responding to the situation and working with fire crews and specialized hazardous materials teams.

“There are no reports of injuries at this time, and our priority remains the safety of our employees, responders, and the surrounding community,” the spokesperson said. “The situation at our Garden Grove site remains ongoing, and we are fully focused on working with emergency services and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of our employees and the local community.”

Evacuee, 71, said she started getting headaches on Thursday

a woman sits in a car with a dog

Leticia Rinker, of Stanton, sits with her dogs Lulu, and Daisy, and two cats, in the back seat of her car at an evacuation center at the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center on May 22, 2026.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

At her home in Stanton on Thursday, Leticia Rinker, 71, kept thinking she was smelling gas.

She repeatedly checked the burners on her stove. She threw away an old pan, thinking maybe she had burned some grease on it while cooking chicken that day.

Then, her head started hurting.

The smell was still in the air Friday morning when she went for a walk, she said.

“Now I know why I smelled it and why I got the headache,” Rinker said Friday night after evacuating her home while emergency crews frantically worked to stop a damaged chemical tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove from exploding.

Rinker, who is retired, had a long career in the automotive industry. “I know smells,” she added.

Rinker was staying at the evacuation center at the Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center, with her two pugs, Lulu and Daisy, and her daughter’s two cats, Cedric and Elvis.

She was walking Friday morning at around 11 a.m. when a neighbor called and told her she needed to get the pets and go.

Her daughter and son-in-law, who live with her, were on a trip out of state, so she spent most of the day in her car at the evacuation center with the pets. The evacuees, she said, were remarkably calm, and relief workers fed them “some delicious spaghetti.”

“Everybody’s very relaxed, just chilling, sitting down,” she said. “A lot of people have their dogs. It’s OK, you know? It’s not a chaos thing.”

Still, she said, she had no idea when she could go home and was upset she had not grabbed food for the pets because she did not think she would be gone so long.

“I’m just hanging out in my car,” she said from the evacuation site. “I see no sense in going anywhere and wasting my gas, as high as it is.”

Rinker said she had friends and neighbors who refused to leave.

Rinker has lived in Stanton, near the aerospace manufacturer, for three decades and said she had never experienced anything like this.

“All I need is for my house to explode,” she said sarcastically.

Then, with a sigh: “I’m trying not to think about it. I love my house.”

Crews making progress in lowering temperature of chemical tank, fire official says

Emergency personnel responds to a hazardous materials incident 

Emergency personnel responded to a hazardous materials incident in Garden Grove on Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Fire crews were making progress Friday lowering the temperature of a chemical tank that is at risk of exploding and releasing toxic material in Orange County.

Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said in an update on Friday night that efforts to cool the tank by spraying it with water have been successful.

“It’s down to a temperature around 61 degrees with 50 [degrees] being its happy place,” he said. “Those efforts are succeeding and it’s giving us opportunity to reconsider engaging in close proximity to implement some of the concepts...to mitigate this thing.”

Covey added that he didn’t find it acceptable to either have the tank spill or explode.

Officials have been working to come up with what Covey said were “out of the box” ideas to prevent as much damage as possible.

“Our group is going to do everything they can to come up with a third, a fourth, a fifth option,” he said.

Portions of six Orange County cities remain evacuated. It is not clear when people will be able to return to their homes.

O.C. evacuees face uncertainty, high holiday hotel prices

Chemical situation in Garden Grove

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

By Eric Licas

Bar manager Miguel Loo, 30, lives about two or three miles away from the leaking chemical plant, and recalls experiencing headaches after getting home at about 3 a.m. Friday morning. He was shopping with his family at around noon in Irvine ahead of his birthday this weekend when they received a notice to evacuate from the city.

“We came back, and half the cars are gone and the other half are leaving all at once,” Loo said. “So we’re trying to evacuate, and I’m getting dizzy with a headache in the middle of it.”

Loo said they managed to gather his mother-in-law’s medication, supplies for their French bulldog, Wednesday, important documents and other essentials. But there were still valuable belongings at their home, and his family was concerned burglars might try to ignore the hazardous chemicals in the air and take advantage of the situation.

Loo and his family were also in the process of arranging shelter while evacuation orders remain in effect. They were considering staying at a hotel, even though prices have been marked up for the Memorial Day Weekend.

“Right now it’s like $200 to $400 for a place that’d normally be 60 or 70 bucks,” Loo said. “Pretty much everything I make this weekend is going to go to that.”

As of 7:30 p.m. Friday, it was unclear whether overnight lodging would be available at the evacuation center set up at the Gaden Grove Sports and Recreation Center on Deodara Drive, the city’s community services director, John Montanchez, said. The shelter has been open since 8 a.m., and about 250 people have checked in for aid so far.

“A lot of them are looking for information.” Montanchez said. “Unfortunately right now the information is changing hour by hour, so it’s kind of hard to keep up. We’ve had the news on the entire time for them… Everyone seems to be in really good spirits. They understand, they’re just kind of sitting around waiting and wondering what’s the next step.”

‘This is not a drill.’ State senator pleads for people to evacuate

Orange County Sheriffs deputies stand guard as evacuees take shelter at the Freedom Hall evacuation center

Orange County Sheriffs deputies stand guard as evacuees take shelter at the Freedom Hall evacuation center on Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) told The Times on Friday night that he was deeply concerned about residents who have chosen not to evacuate neighborhoods near a damaged chemical tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove.

“I am very concerned about those who stay,” Umberg said. “But I’m also concerned about the first responders that something catastrophic happens — and sadly, there’s a fairly significant potentiality of something really bad happening, that those first responders are going to have to risk their lives to go get those people.”

He added that “the overwhelming majority are taking this seriously and evacuated.”

Umberg, whose north Orange County district includes portions of Garden Grove, said people living within the evacuation zone should take their pets with them because it is unclear how long the emergency will last.

Neighbors, he added, need to check on each other, in case they somehow missed the news.

“This is not a drill,” he said. “This is very, very serious. This tank could explode.”

Umberg acknowledged that the evacuation was a disruption and said that “somebody is going to be held responsible.”

“If you incurred expenses because you were evacuated, we’re going to do the best we can to make sure that those responsible make you whole,” Umberg said.

GKN Aerospace is a major aerospace manufacturer. Here is what we know

The chemical leak that triggered evacuations across a swath of Orange County on Friday is located at GKN Aerospace, a manufacturing company based in the United Kingdom.

The company manufactures landing gear, jet engines and other materials for commercial and military aircraft.

GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove facility, which sits on 15.5 acres on Western Avenue, designs, analyzes, tests and certifies military canopies, cockpit windows and passenger widows, according to its website.

The company has been at the site since 2004, according to city documents.

“GKN Aerospace manufactures the world-leading F-35 canopy from its Garden Grove facility, as well as transparencies for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 737, the Airbus A350, HondaJet and Bombardier C-Series,” the company’s website states.

The company’s Garden Grove facility has undergone four inspections by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration since 2018, which resulted in 10 violations, public records show.

More information about those violations was not immediately available.

In 2019, the California Department of Industrial Relations filed a request in Orange County Superior Court that a judge order the company to pay $2,898 in unpaid civil penalties.

The citation, outlined in court records, alleged the company in April 2018 “failed to ensure that all machinery and equipment in service were inspected or maintained as recommended by the manufacturer.”

The company also received a violation for allegedly failing to “implement and effective written injury and illness prevention program” in accordance with state law.

It doesn’t appear that any of the violations were related to the tanks at the center of Friday’s incident.

The documents do not say how the company responded to the inspection reports.

“Safety at our facilities is paramount,” a GKN spokesperson said in response to questions from The Times. “We follow all standard safety protocols and processes and are regularly audited by numerous state and federal agencies.”

“Our focus and priority today is on working with emergency services and the relevant authorities to address the issue at hand and protect the local community,” the spokesperson added.

This year the company sought permission from the Garden Grove planning commission to construct a new employee break room on the site. The plans included the construction of a new 1,504 square-foot building, a roof deck and an open-air patio, according to city documents.

Fire agency asks public to stop calling with suggestions

The Orange County Fire Authority posted on X on Friday evening, requesting that the public refrain from calling with suggestions on how to handle the chemical tank.

“We understand this is a unique hazmat incident and appreciate the public’s concern and willingness to help,” the agency wrote on X. “Please know that subject matter experts are working around the clock to mitigate the emergency safely and effectively.”

“At this time, we ask the public to refrain from calling to offer suggestions so emergency personnel can keep communication lines focused on incident operations and public safety needs.”

Officials have offered a grim picture of the situation during news conferences.

The best-case scenario, officials said, is that the tank spills about 7,000 gallons of toxic chemicals into the parking lot.

The worst-case scenario is an uncontrolled explosion.

“If you‘ve ever seen videos of tank cars on a railroad track blowing up, and that fireball it puts out, and it blows half the tank car half a mile down the train track, that’s the incident potential we are dealing with if this suffers a catastrophic failure,” Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said during a news conference Friday.

Garden Grove chemical tanks’ temperature ‘maintained,’ fire official says

In an update on Friday night, Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said emergency crews have been able to maintain the temperature of the tank by continuously spraying it with water.

That “positive news” was “buying us time to continue to sort out: How do we fix this?”

Covey, who has been saying the tank will either leak or explode, said those options are “not acceptable” and that teams locally and across the state and country were trying to figure out how to avoid a worst-case scenario.

If tank explodes, toxic vapor will smell like fruit

Emergency personel respond to a large storage tank chemical spill

Emergency personel respond to a large storage tank chemical spill at an aerospace facility, GKN Aerospace Transparency, on Friday in Garden Grove.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

If a damaged chemical tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove explodes, it could emit a toxic vapor that has a “fruity and heavy smell,” Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, Orange County’s health officer, said Friday afternoon.

“Smelling it doesn’t mean you reach a level that causes symptoms, but we don’t want you to smell that, so we need to know if you’re smelling it,” Chinsio-Kwong said in a video posted on social media.

There are three large tanks containing a highly toxic chemical called methyl methacrylate, or MMA, used to make plastic, that are in crisis around the 12000 block of Western Avenue in Garden Grove.

The most compromised tank has about 7,000 gallons of the chemical left in it, authorities have said.

“In this situation, our biggest concern is when this chemical reacts, and the temperatures rise, it can cause a vapor,” Chinsio-Kwong said. “My biggest concern is that if that vapor goes into the air and people inhale that, it causes significant damage.”

She said inhaling the vapor can lead to irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches and nausea. Prolonged exposure can cause a person to feel dizzy or drunk and can cause severe respiratory issues.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District had not detected the chemical in the air as of Friday afternoon, she said in the video posted just after 4:40 p.m.

“You are all safe as long as you are out of the zone that was determined to be an evacuation zone,” she said.

22 Freeway off-ramps closed due to chemical incident

Several off-ramps of the 22 Freeway in Orange County were closed due to the chemical incident in Garden Grove.

Caltrans said the Beach Boulevard, Knott Avenue and Valley View Street ramps were shut down until further notice.

Beach Boulevard is closed from Garden Grove Boulevard to Orangewood Avenue.

Drones are monitoring chemical tank to assess danger

As areas around central Orange County are being evacuated, some officials remain at the chemical leak site monitoring activities.

Will officials know in advance if an explosion is imminent?

Drones are monitoring the temperature of the tank, said Craig Covey, a division chief with the Orange County Fire Authority

“We also have a set temperature where, when it reaches that point, we know the tank is going into thermal runaway, and we’re going to pull everybody out of the area, make sure it’s safe, and let the tank do what it’s going to do,” Covey said.

As of mid-afternoon Friday, there was no toxic chemicals leaking from the tank.

“We’ve cooled it down enough. That purge valve that is on top of it is no longer purging any kind of product,” Covey said. “There’s nothing in the air right now.”

One of the tanks on Thursday released vapor after the tank experienced an increase in temperature. In response, a relief valve was activated, and the tank was cooled down by an overhead sprinkler system.

Officials monitoring air quality around O.C. chemical leak

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deployed stationary air monitors around the facility to measure levels of airborne chemicals. An EPA spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether those monitors had detected methyl methacrylate.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District also called on its staff to drive its air-monitoring van along the perimeter of the evacuation zone to collect real-time measurements and ensure there are no elevated levels of airborne chemicals in farther-flung areas.

“This information is being shared directly with Orange County Fire Authority to help them assess conditions on the ground, confirm the safety of the current evacuation area, and determine whether any changes to the evacuation zone are necessary,” said Nahal Mogharabi, a spokesperson for the air district.

The air district is also tracking wind conditions and weather patterns -- which will be critical in determining which areas may be downwind in the event of a chemical release. As of Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported light southwesterly winds in the area.

The EPA encouraged residents with health and safety concerns to call the Orange County Sheriff’s emergency services hotline at 714-628-7085.

What is methyl methacrylate?

Methyl methacrylate is a highly toxic, flammable liquid used in the production of plastics, according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

It can easily evaporate and linger near the ground as a dangerous vapor. If inhaled at high levels, these fumes can aggravate a person’s lungs, causing coughing, wheezing and chest tightness. It can also cause nausea, dizziness and skin irritation.

Although the EPA has classified the chemical as “not likely” carcinogenic to humans, long-term exposure has been linked to serious organ damage.

Inside the leaking chemical tank and the danger it poses

Officials say the leaking chemical tank in Garden Grove poses an “unprecedented” situation.

Here is what they are saying the situation is:

The Orange County Fire Authority initially responded to reports of a hazardous materials incident at a business in the 12000 block of Western Avenue at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Upon arriving at the scene, they determined that methyl methacrylate, a volatile liquid used to make plastic, was leaking out of a 34,000-gallon vat.

The fire authority’s hazardous materials response team began dousing the tanks at a Garden Grove facility Thursday, prompting an initial evacuation order that was lifted later that day. But on Friday morning, officials said a faulty valve and the inability to remove and neutralize the toxic chemical inside the tank had escalated the incident and left them certain that the large tank would, at some point, either fail, leaking thousands of gallons, or explode.

The tank, holding about 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of chemicals, was described as being “in crisis” Friday. “At that point, we know the tank is going into thermal runaway,” said Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey during a news conference Friday. “There are literally two options left remaining. The tank fails and spills a total of about six to 7,000 gallons of very bad chemicals into the parking lot in that area. Or, two, the tank goes into a thermal runaway and blows up, affecting the tanks around them that have fuel or chemicals in them as well.”

The current plan, Covey said, was for hazmat crews to monitor the temperature of the tank. Officials have recognized a set temperature at which they will pull all crews away from the area. The tank will then either explode or leak as it expands, ripping the tank.

Chemical leak is occurring at aerospace facility

The incident took place at GKN Aerospace, which builds engine structures, landing gear and other products for commercial and military aircraft.

“The company actually creates acrylic plastics for the aerospace industry, and that’s the reason for the chemical,” said Orange County fire spokesperson Larry Kurtz.. “The problem with this chemical is it is a possible flammable liquid, and it does have exothermic properties.” This means that the chemical can release heat when a reaction is triggered.

Firefighters used large unmanned firefighting hoses to help cool the leaking tank on Thursday, while industrial cleanup contractors will help with the next phase of the operation.

A spokesperson for GKN Aerospace said that they are responding to the situation and working with fire crews and specialized hazardous materials teams.

Garden Grove chemical leak: Evacuations, closures, shelters

Victor Romero, of Stanton, carries his daughter, Victoria, 2, on his shoulders

Victor Romero, of Stanton, carries his daughter, Victoria, 2, on his shoulders after evacuating to the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center on Friday. Tens of thousands were told to evacuate after a 34,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate leaked at a nearby aerospace plastics facility, sending potentially toxic vapors into the air.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A failing tank in Garden Grove holding toxic chemicals has prompted major evacuations covering six Orange County cities, and officials are not sure when the orders will be lifted.

Read the full story

Thousands evacuated around leaking Orange County chemical tank: ‘It fails, or it blows up’

Water is sprayed on a large storage tank at a business.

Evacuation orders were reissued Friday for thousands of residents and schools were closed in Garden Grove due to continued concerns about a toxic chemical leaking from a large storage tank at an aerospace facility.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

A leaking chemical tank at an aerospace firm is going to fail or explode in an “unprecedented” event that saw officials order thousands of Orange County residents to evacuate parts of six cities until it happens, authorities announced Friday afternoon.

“At that point, we know the tank is going into thermal runaway,” Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said during a news conference Friday. “And we’re going to pull everybody out of the area, make sure it’s safe and let the tank do what it’s going to do.”

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