A damaged chemical tank in southern California cracked over the weekend, raising hopes among authorities that the pressure would be relieved and the risk of an explosion would be reduced.
Evacuation and Current Situation
Approximately 50,000 residents in Garden Grove, a city of roughly 170,000 people located about 40 miles (60 km) south of downtown Los Angeles, have been evacuated and are awaiting a resolution. The tank overheated on Thursday and began venting vapors, prompting local and state officials to take urgent action to avoid a worst-case scenario at the aerospace company site. No injuries have been reported so far.
Fire officials planned to send in a team overnight to determine if the pressure had been relieved, which would reduce the worst-case scenario of an explosion, said TJ McGovern, interim chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, in a video posted late Sunday to the agency's X account. Atmospheric modeling showed an active leak from the tank as of Sunday night, McGovern added.
Firefighting Efforts
Firefighters have repeatedly sprayed the tank with water in an attempt to cool the chemical inside, methyl methacrylate, which is used to make plastic parts. The tank's interior temperature reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, an increase of 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.6 degrees Celsius) since Saturday. Over the weekend, fire officials discovered that the tank had cracked, lowering the potential for a devastating blast.
The tank at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, which manufactures parts for commercial and military aircraft, holds between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate. Monitoring tests found that air pollution around the evacuation zone remained within normal limits, and specialized equipment is being used to ensure no gas is released, state and federal environmental officials said Saturday.
Expert Analysis
The primary goal of firefighters is to cool the chemical inside the tank to prevent a leak or explosion. Drones are monitoring temperatures at 10-minute intervals to watch for any spikes. Containment barriers have been set up to prevent the chemical from reaching storm drains, creeks, or the nearby ocean in the event of a spill, said Craig Covey, division chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, on social media.
As the interior temperature rises, methyl methacrylate converts from a liquid to a gas, increasing pressure, according to Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University engineering professor. He explained that the crack could release product or pressure, reducing the chance of explosion. "Think of a soda can. If you leave it in a hot car, it can explode. But if you put a hole in the can, the product is released and the can itself doesn't explode," Whelton said.
Community Impact
Aerial photos taken by the Associated Press showed empty streets in the area on Sunday, while several evacuation shelters were open. At a high school in neighboring La Palma, people slept in cars or on mats and sleeping bags on the asphalt. Garden Grove is next to Anaheim, home to Disneyland's two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders. Park officials said they were monitoring the situation.
Exposure to methyl methacrylate can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological issues, and irritation to the skin, eyes, and throat, according to fact sheets about the chemical. Some Garden Grove residents filed a class action federal lawsuit on Saturday against GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, which operates the facility where the tank is located. Lawyers for the residents argued that regardless of what happens, property values in the surrounding community are sure to be impacted. GKN Aerospace did not comment on the lawsuit but has apologized to residents and businesses forced to evacuate. It said Sunday it was "working around the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak."
