Authorities warn a leaking methyl methacrylate tank at a Garden Grove aerospace facility could either rupture catastrophically or trigger a toxic plume, leaving tens of thousands with no option but to flee.
(Bloomberg) -- A potential crack in the bottom of a compromised chemical tank, which has prompted the evacuation of more than 50,000 people in the suburbs of Los Angeles, may prevent a previously feared explosion. Orange County Fire Authority has worked since Friday to contain a chemical tank at a GKN Aerospace plant in Garden Grove, about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles, after it overheated and leaked. Officials at the site have warned throughout the weekend that the tank could explode or leak, and Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the county.TJ McGovern, the interim fire chief, said in a video update posted on Sunday that a team of firemen had visualized the entire tank during an operation Saturday night and had discovered a potential crack that was relieving pressure. “With this new information, it could change our trajectory and our strategy to this event,” he said.Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said Sunday he has been told the “most likely scenario is one of a low volume release,” during an interview on CNN’s State of The Union. As the crisis stretches on, schools in the affected area have rescheduled graduations and told parents to prepare for online learning on Tuesday. The World Central Kitchen and the Red Cross are on the ground providing relief. John Torpey, WCK’s response director on the ground, told Bloomberg News that his organization will have provided 2,000 meals at the relief shelters by the end of the day. According to Garden Grove’s website, four of the five shelters are currently full. “It’s very calm, people are being orderly, and people are being polite to each other,” Torpey said. “I think they recognize that this is temporary, and everybody’s just trying to make the best of it while this terrible situation goes on.”Two law firms, the X-Law Group and Presidio Law Firm, have filed a class action lawsuit against GKN Aerospace alleging that the company “breached their duties of care” by “negligently storing MMA in dangerous conditions” and “failing to properly inspect and maintain storage systems and equipment.” The company declined to comment about the suit and pointed to a previous statement. Government investigators have not yet provided details on what has caused the incident.GKN is a unit of UK-based Melrose Industries Plc, which makes aerospace components such as landing gear, engine structures and electrical systems, according to its website. The situation at Garden Grove “remains ongoing” and GKN is working to “resolve the situation as safely as possible,” the company said in a statement. The compromised tank holds some 7,000 gallons of a toxic chemical used to make plastics and fire officials are seeking to keep its temperature lower than 85F (29C). The county fire authority said late Saturday it had “good productive conversations” with environmental experts to prevent further spillage or damage from the tank. “Hopefully, we can get that done before any failure in the tanks,” incident commander Craig Covey said. “I am not promising that we’re going to fix that, but I’m promising you we’re doing everything we can to give us a third option that does not involve damaging this community or damaging our environment.”Harry Allen, the Los Angeles team lead for the EPA, said in a video message posted Saturday night that the agency hasn’t detected contaminants at the 24 monitoring sites it has set up around the tank. County Health Officer Regina Chinsio-Kwong said the main concern is if the polymer reaches a high enough temperature and becomes a vapor. Inhaling that vapor, she said, “causes significant damage.”“It can cause a lot of irritation to your eyes, your nose, your respiratory tract or your lungs,” she said in a video Friday. (Updates with information on chemical tank, lawsuit and relief work)More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
Authorities warn a leaking methyl methacrylate tank at a Garden Grove aerospace facility could either rupture catastrophically or trigger a toxic plume, leaving tens of thousands with no option but to flee.Emergency authorities issued sweeping evacuation orders for roughly 40,000 residents across multiple cities in Orange County, California, on Friday after a large chemical storage tank at an aerospace manufacturing facility began leaking a volatile and flammable substance, raising the spectre of a catastrophic explosion or a mass toxic release.What Is Happening at the Garden Grove Chemical FacilityThe incident is centred on a tank at a GKN Aerospace facility on the 12100 block of Western Avenue in Garden Grove, approximately 35 miles south-east of downtown Los Angeles. The tank holds between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate -- a highly reactive chemical used in the manufacture of resins and plastics -- out of a total capacity of 34,000 gallons.Authorities first received reports of a vapour release from multiple chemical storage tanks at the site at approximately 3:22 p.m. on Thursday. Initial evacuation orders were issued and later rescinded after crews were able to cool the tanks and conditions appeared to stabilise. However, on Friday the valve controlling the leaking tank became inoperable, leaving emergency responders without a reliable means of containing the situation.Two Scenarios, Both Dangerous: What Officials Are WarningIncident Commander Craig Covey was unsparing in his assessment of what residents face."There are literally two options left," Covey said. "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 around them that have fuel or chemicals in them as well. We are setting up these evacuations in preparation for these two options: it fails, or it blows up. Please follow our requests and orders for evacuations."A chemical spill, whilst deeply serious, was described as the more manageable of the two outcomes. Covey characterised it as a "best-case scenario," with responders working to position containment barriers capable of preventing any spilled material from reaching storm drains or river channels that flow towards the ocean.Evacuation Zone Spans Six Cities in Orange CountyThe evacuation zone encompasses parts of Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster. Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra confirmed that approximately 40,000 residents fall within the affected area, though he noted that several thousand had refused to comply with the order.As of Friday afternoon, no injuries had been reported.Aerial footage broadcast by local television stations showed jets of water being directed at the tank from multiple angles, with a frame-mounted sprinkler system and an unmanned hose line both working to cool the vessel and reduce the risk of a thermal event.What Is Methyl Methacrylate and Why Is It DangerousMethyl methacrylate is a colourless liquid monomer with a sharp, distinctive odour, widely used in the production of acrylic glass, dental materials and surface coatings. Its properties make it particularly hazardous in an uncontrolled setting."It is a highly toxic substance," said Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Nick Freeman. "It's extremely flammable and in its current state very reactive, and can cause that explosion."The US Environmental Protection Agency notes that methyl methacrylate is irritating to the skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Respiratory effects, including coughing and wheezing, have been documented following both short-term and prolonged inhalation exposure, and neurological symptoms have also been reported after acute exposure. The agency has identified a possible but unproven association between long-term exposure and colorectal cancers.The EPA is supporting local authorities with air-quality monitoring
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