Federal and local officials responding to a damaged chemical tank at an aerospace plant in Orange County, California, say the threat has eased from a possible catastrophic explosion, though risks remain at the site as crews work to drain the vessel.
A tank holding roughly 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate at GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove facility began overheating Thursday. By Sunday, a crack had developed in the tank, releasing pressure and allowing internal temperatures to drop, likely avoiding fears of what EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told CNN could be a “catastrophic scenario,” in which the tank could rupture and ignite neighboring vessels.
“It’s not over yet. We still have work to do,” TJ McGovern, interim fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said at a Monday news conference. “We still have to mitigate a fire and very small explosion concern, and also a spill potential.”
The county lifted evacuation orders Monday for roughly two-thirds — about 34,000 — of the 50,000 residents who had been displaced from Garden Grove and surrounding communities west of Anaheim since Thursday.
