An estimated 40,000 residents in Orange County, California, were ordered to evacuate Friday after authorities lost control of a valve on a tank containing a highly toxic chemical at an aerospace manufacturing facility — raising fears of a catastrophic explosion.
The tank at the GKN Aerospace site in Garden Grove holds methyl methacrylate, a flammable and reactive chemical used to make resins and plastics. Orange County Fire Authority incident commander Craig Coby offered a blunt assessment of what could happen next.
“It fails or it blows up,” said Coby, according to NBC News.
The crisis began Thursday when a vapor release was detected at the facility, triggering the kind of mass evacuations Southern California has seen during recent disasters. The evacuation zone spans parts of Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park, and Westminster — communities located about 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Authorities initially stabilized the situation, but Friday brought fresh alarm when the tank’s valve became inoperable.
OCFA Division Chief Nick Freeman called the substance “extremely flammable” and warned it could trigger an explosion in its current reactive state. The EPA lists methyl methacrylate as a potential cause of lung and skin irritation and a possible contributor to colon and rectal cancers.
Officials said the tank, holding between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons, is currently being cooled by a sprinkler system and an unmanned hose line. No injuries have been reported.
Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong called the situation unprecedented.”
“This is a unique situation,” she told reporters. “We don’t have information of a similar situation where this happened, right. So we’re going into unique times, and we have limited information.”
It’s the latest crisis to test a region still recovering from devastating wildfires and bracing for the next emergency.
GKN Aerospace said it is “fully focused on working with emergency services” to protect employees and the surrounding community.
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