Thousands evacuated from California homes amid chemical tank explosion fears

Some 40,000 people in Southern California have been evacuated after a storage tank began leaking hazardous chemicals.

The chemical tank, used to make plastic parts, could rupture or explode, officials warned.

The tank holds between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate and overheated on Thursday, pumping toxic substances into the air at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove.

Officials ordered residents in Garden Grove to leave and expanded evacuations orders on Friday to five other Orange County cities.

Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster residents have all been urged to leave after the leak couldn’t be stopped overnight.

The tank is run by GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft.

Officials lifted the order later on Friday, but the problem worsened due to ‘damage to a valve on the tank that created additional operational challenges, preventing complete mitigation’.

Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said: ‘We have a tank that is actively in crisis.

‘There are literally two options left. One: the tank fails and spills a total of about 6-7,000 gallons of very bad chemicals into the parking lot in that area.

‘Or two: the tank goes into a thermal runaway and blows up, affecting the tanks that are around them that have fuel or the chemicals in them as well.

‘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.’

Dr Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the county health officer, said the chemical could cause health issues if a vapour is released.

Methyl methacrylate can cause respiratory issues, itching and burning eyes, nausea and headaches.

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