Authorities have raced to evacuate 40,000 people as a massive storage tank, leaking a hazardous chemical, threatens to explode. A tank holding up to 26,500 litres of methyl methacrylate, used to make plastic parts, overheated on Thursday and started releasing vapours. Officials rushed to desperately try and prevent the tank, with the highly volatile substance, from blowing up and leading to an unprecedented industrial disaster.
Evacuation Orders Expand Across Orange County
The plant is in Garden Grove, California, around 30 miles from Los Angeles. The local fire authorities warned the container could fail and crack, releasing the chemical onto the ground, or it could explode and lead to extreme damage of the surrounding area. Residents in Garden Grove were forced to leave their homes amid evacuation orders. The evacuation area was expanded on Friday to also include people in five other cities: Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster.
Efforts to Prevent Catastrophe
Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said on Friday: "This thing is going to fail, and we don't know when. We're doing our best to figure out when or how we can prevent it." Officials were unable to stop the leak which is on the tank at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft. No injuries or deaths have been reported, authorities said. In an update later on Friday, Covey said authorities were able to maintain the tank's temperature, buying time to figure out how authorities can fix it.
The impacted plant is just a 30-minute drive away from downtown Los Angeles and less than a mile from Disneyland's two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders Friday.
Residents React to Sudden Evacuation
A local, named Danny Pham, said he was sleeping when his roommate banged on the door around 7am Friday morning and said he needed to leave immediately. Pham, who lives close to the plant, had been working late the night before at a Vietnamese restaurant and didn't see the news. He said: "It was shocking to me. I didn't know how serious it would be. I never knew that a thing like this could happen." Pham said he rushed out with just his wallet and passport, before taking shelter at a friend's restaurant in a neighbouring city.
Health and Environmental Precautions
Fire crews have created containment barriers with sandbags in case there is a chemical spill from the tank to prevent the toxic chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean, according to the local fire chief. Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the county health officer, said if the chemical heats up, it can release a vapor that is harmful to people's health - causing respiratory issues, itching and burning eyes, nausea and headaches.
Crews were initially successful and were able to neutralise one of two damaged tanks, but Covey said they determined Friday morning that the remaining tank was "in the biggest crisis." GKN Aerospace said specialized hazardous material teams are assessing the situation. Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein told locals: "We understand that this is frightening. But the evacuation orders are in place for your safety."
