Catastrophic chemical tank explosion threat is ‘off the table,’ officials say
The threat of a catastrophic explosion at a Southern California chemical tank, which resulted in an evacuation order covering tens of thousands of Orange County residents, has largely been eliminated, fire officials said Monday.
The evacuation orders remained in effect as of Monday afternoon as there remains an ongoing threat of a smaller explosion or exposure to chemicals leaking from the tank in the surrounding area.
“We are happy to report that the threat of a (boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion) is now off the table. That threat has been eliminated,” said Orange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern in an incident update posted Monday morning.
A BLEVE occurs when a pressurized vessel ruptures and often results in a fiery, violent explosion.
The incident started on Thursday when firefighters responded to a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove. A 7,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate was becoming increasingly pressurized and overheated, which was resulting in gas being released into the surrounding area, The Orange County Register reported.
Exposure to methyl methacrylate, or MMA, can cause eye and skin irritation, and may result in neurological symptoms and birth defects, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Shortly after fire officials learned the seriousness of the threat, local authorities issued evacuation orders that affected about 40,000 of Garden Grove’s 172,000 residents, according to The Orange County Register.
Over the weekend, state and local officials issued repeated warnings about the potential danger residents faced if such an explosion occurred. An operation conducted by fire authorities confirmed that a crack in the tank helped decrease the internal pressure, which substantially reduced the threat of a massive explosion, Division Chief Craig Covey said Monday. He noted that the temperature of the tank has also decreased.
“That is incredibly positive news as we turn the corner on this incident,” Covey said.
Following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state of emergency proclamation, the Trump administration approved the governor’s request for emergency federal assistance on Monday to continue supporting responders efforts to contain the threat.
“California didn’t wait for this situation to escalate — we moved early, aggressively, and in close partnership with local responders to protect lives and support impacted communities,” Newsom said in a Monday statement. “We are grateful for the federal government approving our request and helping strengthen the resources already on the ground to help this community recover safely.”
The Governor’s Office said more than 785 state and local emergency personnel were mobilized to respond to incident.
