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In Southern California, officials are working urgently to thwart a potential disaster stemming from a leaking storage tank filled with a volatile chemical used in plastic manufacturing. This situation has prompted evacuation orders for approximately 40,000 residents in the vicinity.
A large tank containing between 22,700 and 26,500 liters of methyl methacrylate overheated on Thursday, releasing vapors at an aerospace manufacturing facility in Garden Grove, located in Orange County, local fire officials reported.
The risk of the tank either cracking and spilling or exploding looms large, according to Craig Covey, Division Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority.
“This situation is critical, and the timeline is uncertain,” Covey stated. “Our focus is on determining the best course of action to prevent a catastrophe.”
As a precautionary measure, evacuations were initially mandated for Garden Grove residents and later extended on Friday to parts of five additional cities in Orange County, including Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park, and Westminster. This decision followed unsuccessful attempts to halt the leak overnight at GKN Aerospace, a company that produces components for both commercial and military aircraft.
No injuries or deaths have been reported, authorities said.
In an update later on Friday, Covey said authorities have been able to maintain the tank’s temperature, buying time to figure out how to fix it.
Garden Grove is about 61 kilometres south of downtown Los Angeles and less than a mile from Disneyland’s two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders on Friday. The city is known for its vibrant Vietnamese community, one of the largest of any US city.
Danny Pham said he was deep in a dream when his roommate banged on his door about 7am on Friday and told him he needed to leave immediately. Pham had been working late the night before at a Vietnamese restaurant and had not seen the news.
“It was shocking to me,” said Pham, who lives only a couple blocks from the plastics plant. “I didn’t know how serious it would be. I never knew that a thing like this could happen.”
He left minutes later, grabbing only his wallet and passport, and took shelter at a friend’s restaurant in a neighboring city.
By late Friday afternoon, Pham was still trying to figure out where he would stay the night and worrying that he had only the clothes on his back, possibly for days to come.
Covey said 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.
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. It can cause respiratory issues, itching and burning eyes, nausea and headaches.
Crews were initially successful and were able to neutralize one of two damaged tanks, but Covey said they determined on Friday morning that the remaining tank was “in the biggest crisis”.
GKN Aerospace said specialised hazardous material teams are assessing the situation.
“There are no reports of injuries at this time and our priority remains the safety of our employees, responders, and the surrounding community,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We will provide verified updates as soon as more information becomes available.”
Kim Yen, a retiree in Garden Grove, was settling in for the night on Thursday when she heard a siren-like sound coming from her phone. An alert told her she needed to leave her home, which was just two blocks from the chemical leak.
As Yen drove to her daughter’s house in Seal Beach, she worried that others in the local Vietnamese community might ignore or not understand the evacuation alert because it was in English.
“They are family,” she said. “I’m hoping they stay alert and listen to the news and the authorities. This is scary.”
Yen, who is originally from Vietnam and has lived in Orange County since 1980, quickly stopped by her house on Friday morning to grab important documents and medications. By then her neighborhood was “a ghost town,” and she was comforted to see police officers going door to door to make sure everyone had evacuated.
“We understand that this is frightening,” Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein said. “But the evacuation orders are in place for your safety.”
Local Vietnamese television stations translated updates from officials and urged residents to take the situation seriously.