Former GKN employee speaks out on Garden Grove chemical threat

Former GKN employee raises concerns amid chemical threat

FOX 11 is learning more about the company that controls the tanks in Garden Grove as a former employee speaks out.

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - A former GKN Aerospace employee is speaking out in the wake of the Garden Grove chemical crisis, calling it a wake-up call for California residents who may have no idea what's stored in facilities near their homes.

What they're saying:

Valerie Morales spent 18 years in environmental health and safety, including time as a manager at GKN Aerospace's Santa Ana facility. She says the crisis that displaced more than 50,000 Orange County residents raises serious questions that demand answers. "A lot of people want to know why this is happening, why it was so close to them, and why they didn't know that was there, and that it was hazardous and toxic," said Morales. 

The crisis began Thursday, May 21st, when a 34,000-gallon storage tank at GKN Aerospace's facility on Western Avenue in Garden Grove began overheating. The tank contained methyl methacrylate, a toxic, highly flammable chemical used to manufacture acrylic plastics, including aircraft canopies and windshields. A faulty valve prevented crews from draining or neutralizing the chemical inside.

By Friday, Orange County Fire Authority officials delivered a warning: the tank would either explode or spill thousands of gallons of the hazardous chemical. More than 50,000 residents across Garden Grove, Stanton, Anaheim, Westminster, Cypress and Buena Park were ordered to evacuate. Governor  Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency for Orange County and asked President Trump for a federal emergency declaration, which Trump approved on Monday.

On Saturday, crews discovered a crack in the tank that helped release pressure. By Monday morning, OCFA announced the threat of a catastrophic explosion, known as a BLEVE, or Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion was "off the table." 

Morales says most California residents are unaware that federal and state law already gives communities the right to know what hazardous materials are stored in nearby facilities, they just don't know to ask. "These facilities are everywhere, they're in Burbank, they're all over Southern California, and they've been here for a very long time," she said. "There is a current federal law, and California has other measures in place where we have a right to know. But people aren't aware of that, and we have to advocate for ourselves."

Dig deeper:

In 2018, GKN was acquired in a hostile takeover by British investment company Melrose Industries. Layoffs followed. Morales says she cannot say what caused this specific crisis, but she knows what investigators need to look for. "When was the last time the city came in and inspected it? When the permits were updated, so there's a number of barriers in place to prevent things like this," she said. "They would have to do a deep dive looking at the inspection records, the maintenance logs, all of it. What was replaced on that tank, and when?"

Records show that in 2020, GKN Aerospace settled an air quality violation with the South Coast Air Quality Management District and agreed to pay $900,000 in fines. It is not clear whether those violations are connected to this week's crisis.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has launched a criminal investigation into GKN Aerospace, ordering the company to preserve all maintenance logs, telemetry records, and internal communications. A whistleblower hotline has also been established, urging current and former employees to come forward.