The threat of a major explosion from a tank explosion in Garden Grove ended Monday, but Orange County Fire Authority officials stopped short of allowing thousands of evacuated residents to return home due to lingering fears of toxic chemical releases.
As of Monday afternoon, approximately 50,000 residents remained under an evacuation order as the crisis at the facility, GKN Aerospace, spilled into its fourth day.
“They don’t know when we’re going home,” Jessica Doughty, 31, said Monday, three days after she and her fiancee were ordered to leave their Stanton home.
“We’re sitting here in an unknown place … I want to go home. I miss my bed,” said Doughty, who was staying at a Red Cross shelter in Anaheim.
Orange County officials said they are evaluating whether it is safe to reduce the evacuation zone to allow some residents to go home.
Concerns remain that an explosion at the aerospace plant in Garden Grove could still happen, fire officials said.
In the past, there were good stories of workers working day and night to stop this situation. Orange County Fire Authority officials announced that they are no longer concerned about the worst-case scenario of a catastrophic explosion caused by a tank breach, which released toxic chemicals over a wide area.
TJ McGovern, interim chief of the Fire Authority, said firefighters have gained confidence that the pressurized tank will not have a “expandable liquid expansion explosion,” or BLEVE.
“The BLEVE threat has been eliminated,” McGovern said, but added: “We still have threats to mitigate.”
Separately, President Trump authorized federal disaster relief to help cover the costs of coordinating the response effort.
“We are grateful that the federal government has granted our request and helped to strengthen the resources already in place to help this community recover safely,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement.
More than 785 first responders and other emergency responders, including firefighters, hazardous materials specialists, public health officials and environmental scientists, have been mobilized since Friday, Newsom’s office said.
Firefighters were able to get a better handle on the situation after two patrols overnight at the 15-acre production site in the 12000 block of Western Avenue in Garden Grove.
Firefighters and hazardous materials experts worked closely with GKN Aerospace experts.
Late Saturday, workers entered the facility to inspect a cracked container, which officials believe contained 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a chemical commonly used to make plastic.
The purpose was to test the integrity of the tank, McGovern said.
Hazardous materials experts were able to confirm one crack that night. The damaged container was one of three large tanks in the area containing these chemicals.
While the workers were in the premises, the alarm went off, forcing them to retreat, said McGovern during a briefing on Monday.
Still, “we got good intel” that allowed planning a second night’s work, McGovern said.
Late Sunday, crews returned and were able to remove some of the insulation from the tank to get a more accurate reading of the temperature inside.
“The team safely and successfully removed the material from the tank to assist in the recovery efforts,” said a GKN statement. “This operation followed several days of careful monitoring and tank stabilization work.”
With the new information, the team was able to determine that temperatures had dropped and pressure was no longer building up inside, McGovern said.
In a statement, Sen. State Rep. Tom Umberg (D-Orange) said “the brave work of the firefighters who were able to get to the top of the tank and remove the cover,” which allowed emergency responders to better cool the contents.
Drones used in the past could not read the scales showing the internal temperatures.
“There’s an internal temperature sensor, and the only way to read it is in person,” Captain Wayhowe Huang of the Orange County Fire Authority told The Times outside the command center at Los Alamitos Race Course on Monday, near the perimeter of the exit.
“It was definitely a dangerous job because of the possibility of an explosion,” Huang said.
Temperatures have been slowly rising over the weekend, reaching 100 degrees. Huang said the breakthrough came when firefighters were able to remove the outer casing of the tank to allow it to cool down better.
Late Monday, firefighters were still concerned that the heat released by the chemical could still lead to a “low-energy explosion,” Huang said.
The chemical, known as MMA, is a flammable liquid widely used in the production of plastics, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. If inhaled at high levels, the smoke can irritate a person’s lungs, causing coughing, wheezing and chest tightness. It can also cause nausea, dizziness and itching of the skin.
“There is still concern about the thermal explosion of the tank,” said Huang. “Now the trace of that will be small. … That threat is why we are holding those evacuation orders.”
The automatic sprinklers at the facility have been operating since the problem was discovered on Thursday, while another idle hose has been spraying the bottom of the tank.
GKN Aerospace, based in Britain, makes landing gears, jet engines and other components for commercial and military aircraft at the Garden Grove facility.
“We continue to work around the clock with OCFA, EPA and all appropriate federal, state and local agencies to mitigate the ongoing risk of a leak,” GKN said.
“We apologize for the ongoing inconvenience caused by this incident and what is important to us is a safe solution, so that citizens can return to their homes as soon as possible,” the company said, adding that it was “very grateful” for the efforts of the region, government officials and public officials.
Orange County. He said. Todd Spitzer has opened a criminal investigation into the possible disaster. Official “withhold” letters were sent to representatives of GKN Aerospace, demanding the company keep records that could be relevant to the investigation, said Kimberly Edds, director of public affairs in Spitzer’s office.
The problem started on Thursday, when one of the tanks began to feel an increase in temperature, which caused people to leave for a while.
At one point, the tank began to explode, causing fear among emergency personnel of a possible BLEVE.
The company’s Garden Grove facility has been inspected four times by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration since 2018, resulting in 10 violations, public records show.
The Red Cross has opened seven emergency shelters for people affected by the forced evacuation. The organization said thousands of meals and snacks have been provided. These operations are supported by more than 100 Red Cross disaster workers.
“They were doing a really good job – the Red Cross was really successful,” said Edward Cho, 37, a chef who lived with his 72-year-old mother, who has cancer.
The two were camping in the basketball gym at Savanna High School in Anaheim.
“People take care of each other,” said Cho. “It’s like poison gas bringing people together. That’s a good story, isn’t it?”
Deputy managing editor Shelby Grad again staff writers Lisa Boone and Hailey Branson-Potts contributed to this report.
