40,000 people are under evacuation orders in California amid the chemical tank leak
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Authorities in Southern California on Friday were scrambling to figure out how to prevent an explosion at a tank storing a hazardous chemical used to make plastic parts, as about 40,000 people were under evacuation orders.
A tank holding 22,700 to 26,500 gallons of methyl methacrylate overheated Thursday and began spewing vapor into the air at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, a city in Orange County, the county’s fire department said.
The tank could fail and crack, releasing the chemical to the ground, or it could explode, Garden Grove Fire Chief Craig Covey said Friday.
“This thing is going to fail, and we don’t know when,” Covey said. “We’re doing everything we can to figure out when and how we can stop it.”
Officials ordered residents in Garden Grove to leave and extended evacuation orders Friday for residents of five other Orange County cities β Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster β after they were unable to stop a leak overnight from a tank at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft.
No injuries or deaths were reported, authorities said.
The temperature of the tank is maintained until now
In a recent update Friday, Covey said authorities were able to maintain the temperature in the tank, buying time to figure out how to fix it.
Garden Grove is about 61 miles south of downtown Los Angeles and not far from two Disneyland theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders Friday. The city is known for its vibrant Vietnamese community, which is one of the largest cities in America.
Danny Pham said he was deep in a dream when his roommate knocked on the door at around 7 am local time on Friday morning and told him to leave immediately. Pham was working late nights at a Vietnamese restaurant and had not seen the news.
“It shocked me a lot,” said Pham, who lives in a strange area of ββthe plastics industry. “I didn’t know how serious it would be. It’s not the first time something like this has happened.”
He left minutes later, taking only his wallet and passport, and took refuge at a friend’s restaurant in a neighboring town.
By late Friday afternoon, Pham was still trying to figure out where to stay for the night and worried that he only had the clothes on his back, possibly for days to come.
Content barriers are in place
Covey said crews have built containment barriers with sandbags in the event of a chemical spill from the tank to prevent the toxic chemical from entering storm drains or reaching nearby streams or the ocean.
Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the regional health officer, said that if the chemical is heated, it can release vapors that are harmful to people’s health. It can cause breathing problems, itching and burning of the eyes, nausea and headache.
Crews were initially successful and were able to lower one of the two damaged tanks, but Covey said they determined Friday morning that the remaining tank was in “very serious trouble.”
GKN Aerospace said special risk teams are assessing the situation.
“There are no reports of injuries at this time and our top priority is the safety of our employees, responders and the surrounding community,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
“We will provide confirmed updates as soon as more information becomes available.”
‘This is scary’
Kim Yen, who is retired from Garden Grove, was hanging out Thursday night when she heard a siren-like sound coming from her phone. The warning told him he needed to leave his home, which was far from the chemical leak.
As Yen drove to her daughter’s home in Seal Beach, Calif., she worried that others in the local Vietnamese community might ignore or misunderstand the warning to evacuate because it was in English.
“They are family,” she said. “I hope they will stay alert and listen to the news and the authorities. This is scary.”
Yen, who is originally from Vietnam and has lived in Orange County since 1980, stopped by her house early Friday morning to pick up important documents and medicine. At the time, her neighborhood was “haunted,” and she was comforted when she saw the police going door-to-door to make sure everyone was out.
“We understand that this is scary,” said Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein. “But the evacuation orders are there for your safety.”
Local Vietnamese television channels translated updates from officials and urged residents to take the situation seriously.
