Evacuation centers remained open in Southern California on Saturday as authorities worked to cool an overheated chemical storage tank and keep it from exploding less than a mile from Disneyland’s two theme parks.
No injuries were reported after the pressurized tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors in Garden Grove, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Evacuation orders were issued for 40,000 people, and several shelters were opened by Friday night, including at three high schools.
The main concern was that the tank could fail and crack, releasing the chemical onto the ground, or it could explode, said Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey. The tank is located at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft. The tank holds between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons (22,700 and 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, used to make plastic parts.
Drones are monitoring the tank’s temperature, and by Friday evening, efforts to cool the tank were working, Covey said.
“It is not OK with me just to sit back and watch this thing blow up or fail. That is not acceptable to me,” Covey said in an update posted on social media. “Our group is going to do everything they can to come up with a third, a fourth, a fifth option that is not that, that is not failure, and we can get all of you back home as soon as possible. I ask you to continue to be patient.”
That included asking the public not to call 911 for nonemergency issues. especially with suggestions about solving the problem, Covey said
“I know that everybody’s thinking they’re going to give us some really good ideas on how to fix that,” he said. “While we really appreciate the intent of that, trust me, I have the best people around working on solutions.”
Initially, residents in Garden Grove were ordered to leave. Evacuation orders were expanded Friday to some residents of five other Orange County cities – Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster.
Garden Grove is about 38 miles (61 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles and less than a mile from Disneyland’s two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders. The city is known for its vibrant Vietnamese community, one of the largest of any U.S. city. Local Vietnamese television stations translated updates from officials and urged residents to take the situation seriously.
Covey said crews used sandbags to create containment barriers to prevent the toxic chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean in the event of a spill.
If the chemical heats up, it can release a vapor that is harmful to people’s health. It can cause respiratory issues, itching and burning eyes, nausea and headaches, said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the Orange County health officer.
Crews were initially successful and were able to neutralize one of two damaged tanks, but Covey said they determined Friday morning that the remaining tank was “in the biggest crisis.”
In a statement, GKN Aerospace said it was “fully focused on working with emergency services, specialized hazardous material teams and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the local community, our employees and everyone else involved.”
