- About 50,000 people remain evacuated near a California aerospace plant emergency
- A storage tank holds 7,000 gallons of flammable, toxic methyl methacrylate chemical
- Tank temperature reached 100 degrees, raising fears of explosion and health risks
About 50,000 people in Garden Grove, California, are still being evacuated after a serious emergency at an aerospace plant.
Crews in Southern California are working through the night to control a large storage tank filled with a toxic chemical after concerns of a possible leak and explosion.
A storage tank at the GKN Aerospace facility contains about 7,000 gallons of a chemical called methyl methacrylate. This chemical is used to make plastics and resins, but it is highly flammable and toxic.
On Thursday, the chemical inside the tank became too hot. Authorities say tens of thousands of residents, roughly a 9-square-mile potential blast radius in Orange County, have been told to evacuate as a precaution due to health risks and the threat of a potential blast.
The cities include Westminster, Stanton, Buena Park, Cypress, Garden Grove and Anaheim. Some people living near the site have started reporting health symptoms such as nausea, dizziness and irritation in the lungs and nose.
"The tank was at 100 degrees, or at least that's as high as the thermometer would go," said state Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Orange).
Firefighters in California are checking whether the dangerous pressure inside the tank has already been released.
"I forgot to close the window during Thursday night, and I regret it. My throat and the inside of my nose feel sore, and my wife felt dizzy Friday night," said Stanton resident Van Ly, who evacuated Friday.
"We know that you're out of your homes, we want to get you back, but we cannot do that until it's deemed safe," Orange County Fire Chief McGovern said.
If the pressure inside the tank becomes too high and the tank fails suddenly, it could explode. That explosion could send metal pieces and debris flying into nearby homes, shops, and buildings.
Over the weekend, firefighters checked the tank and saw what looked like a crack, which officials said could reduce the risk of a sudden explosion, adding it was still very dangerous and could cause serious health and environmental damage.
"In a weird world that's the best case scenario believe it or not. Because once it comes out it is no longer an explosive hazard," said Craig Covey, the incident commander at Orange County Fire.
Emergency teams are still working to cool the tank and control the chemical reaction inside.
"If the crack does not extend all the way, pressure could still be trapped inside, leaving the possibility of a catastrophic worst-case scenario," said McGovern.
So far, firefighters and the Environmental Protection Agency have checked the area around the tank and have not found any harmful chemical fumes in the air. Officials also think the crack they found in the tank might actually be helping a little. It could be letting out some pressure slowly, instead of letting it build up inside.
"We're not there yet. We need to run this operation tonight. Please help us. Stay out of the evacuation zone. Let us run our operation, and tomorrow we will be giving you an update on what occurred this evening," said McGovern.
