Hazmat specialists in Orange County worked through Friday to prevent a storage tank containing a highly toxic chemical from exploding at an aerospace facility in Southern California. Authorities ordered tens of thousands of residents to evacuate parts of Garden Grove and neighbouring communities for a second consecutive day, amid fears that a blast could trigger a major fire and release hazardous substances into the surrounding area.
Officials said the crisis began on Thursday at the GKN Aerospace plant, located about 35 miles south of Los Angeles, after problems emerged involving a tank containing a toxic chemical used in plastics manufacturing.
A leak from the tank appeared to have been contained initially. However, workers later discovered the tank had started to bulge, raising fears that it remained unstable. The company said a damaged valve had prevented a controlled release of pressure from the tank.
“We were handed this situation where only two things could happen,” said Craig Covey, an incident commander with the Orange County Fire Authority. “It can crack and leak, or it can blow up.”
Health officials said they remained uncertain about the scale of the potential danger if the tank failed. “You could have a combustion event that could be pretty catastrophic,” said Joseph E Shepherd of the California Institute of Technology.
The Associated Press reported that emergency crews had stabilised the tank’s temperature, giving responders more time to contain the situation. Containment measures have also been put in place to prevent any leaking chemicals from entering storm drains or waterways.
Is Disneyland Being Evacuated?
Evacuation orders remain in place across a large section of the area, affecting an estimated 40,000 residents in Garden Grove and parts of nearby Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Stanton and Westminster.
However, Disneyland Resort is not currently included in the evacuation zone. Officials said the resort remains open and operating normally. Although the theme park is located relatively close to the affected area, authorities have not issued any warnings specifically concerning Disneyland at this stage.
Visitors travelling to the resort over the coming days have been advised to monitor local updates and follow guidance from emergency officials as the situation develops.