Garden Grove gave California a Memorial Day weekend emergency no family wanted: A damaged chemical tank at the GKN Aerospace facility forced tens of thousands of residents from their homes after methyl methacrylate began creating a serious fire, vapor, and explosion risk.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Orange County, and state officials said the tank held roughly 5,000 to 7,000 gallons of the volatile chemical.
Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey described the tank as unstable after crews found its internal temperature had climbed from 77º F to 90º F and was rising about 1º F per hour, saying that responders couldn’t accept a tank failure or explosion as an outcome, which was the right message for a public already staring at road closures, shelter plans, and evacuation maps. From Reuters:
Craig Covey, division chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said crews had gone back into the danger zone in Garden Grove overnight after drone readings on Friday suggested water sprayed on the tanks was helping stabilize the situation.
But those drone readings measured the outside of the vessel, not the chemical inside, Covey said in a video update posted on social media on Saturday morning. When crews reached the tank’s gauge, they found the internal temperature was 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), up from 77 degrees (25 C) when responders had pulled back.
The temperature was increasing by about one degree an hour, he said. “That’s the bad news,” Covey said.
Officials have warned since Friday that the tank, which contains methyl methacrylate, a flammable chemical used in plastics and manufacturing, could rupture and spill up to 7,000 gallons (26,500 liters) of toxic material or explode and endanger nearby tanks.
On Saturday, Covey said firefighters were exploring whether a heavy flow of cooling water might slow the curing process inside the tank enough to reduce pressure and prevent an explosion.
“Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable to us,” Covey said. “Our goal is to find something and not allow that to happen.”
Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra said about 15% of residents in the evacuation zone had refused to leave. Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, chief health officer for the Orange County Health Care Agency, warned that extended exposure to chemical vapors could create serious respiratory concerns, along with eye irritation, headaches, nausea, and other symptoms.
Emergency orders reached Garden Grove and nearby communities, including Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park, and Westminster.
Hellbound and Down 