Firefighters celebrated the appearance of a crack in the tank over the weekend, which helped relieve pressure.
By Catholics for Catholics
A crack has alleviated some compression in a damaged chemical tank and the temperature of the highly incendiary gas inside is continuing to plummet, leading authorities to say Monday they believe the likelihood of a calamitous explosion has been eradicated.
Still, an evacuation order remains in place for some 50,000 residents of nearby Garden Grove, just south of Los Angeles, according to a story by The Epoch Times.
Craig Covey, the Orange County Fire Authority division chief said an assessment of the tank containing 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate produced “incredibly positive news,”although the peril to public safety is “ongoing.” The crack in the tank at the GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems plant was detected Sunday. Authorities have not uncovered hazardous chemical levels as of Monday.
“There is still no chemical leak, as verified by continuous atmospheric monitoring,” the department said in a post on X.
Tens of thousands of people in Southern California are under evacuation orders because of the occurrence.
Officials ruled out the threat of a catastrophic explosion Monday after discovering a crack in a failing chemical tank at GKN Aerospace in Orange County, California, though concerns over a smaller blast still remain. pic.twitter.com/xXiCs452Pq
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 26, 2026
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 23 declared a state of emergency, and evacuation orders were dispatched for an area that’s home to tens of thousands of people as alarms accumulated that the tank could rupture and spill up to 7,000 gallons of toxic material or explode and endanger nearby tanks.
On May 24, Newsom said that he submitted a request to the federal government to declare an emergency to free up more resources for sheltering and evacuating people, among other response efforts.
At a news conference on May 25, Orange County Fire Authority Interim Fire Chief TJ McGovern said residents are still under evacuation orders and that the tank remains a threat to those in the area.
“We want to be clear that the evacuation zones are still in play,” McGovern said on May 25. “Please abide by those evacuation zones.”
