Hazardous chemical leak forces second round of evacuations in Garden Grove, Stanton

Evacuations reissued after Garden Grove chemical leak

Several schools within the Garden Grove Unified School School District were also closed Friday due to the ongoing incident.

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. - A hazardous materials alert at a local aerospace manufacturing facility has triggered a second round of urgent evacuation orders for residents living on the border of Garden Grove and Stanton.

What we know:

Police initially responded to the area near Western and Lampson avenues around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday to handle traffic. 

The incident stems from a leak at GKN Aerospace on Western Avenue, a facility that builds engine structures and other products for commercial and military aircraft.

Authorities determined that a chemical system was leaking methyl methacrylate (MMA), a plastic epoxy used to create parts for the aerospace industry. Because MMA creates its own heat, firefighters put critical cooling measures into place.

Buildings from Western Avenue to Beach Boulevard, and from Garden Grove Boulevard to Orangewood Avenue were initially evacuated on Thursday. 

Those orders, along with orders for the area along Lampson Avenue from Santa Rosalia Avenue to Western Avenue, were briefly lifted just before 9 p.m. Thursday after the Orange County Fire Authority noted the cooling operation was successful. However, street closures remained in effect.

On Friday morning, conditions changed. 

Authorities discovered that a valve on the 34,000-gallon chemical tank is inoperable, meaning the chemical appears to continue to leak into the air.

EVACUATION ORDERS

As a precautionary measure, authorities reissued urgent mandatory evacuation orders Friday morning for the following areas:

• North of Trask Avenue
• South of Ball Road
• East of Valley View Street
• West of Dale Street

SCHOOL CLOSURES

The Garden Grove Unified School District announced that classes were canceled until further notice at the following campuses:

• Barker Elementary School;
• Bryant;
• Carver;
• Enders Elementary School;
• Garden Park;
• Lawrence Elementary School;
• Wakeham Elementary School;
• Patton Elementary School;
• Bell Intermediate School;
• Alamitos Intermediate;
• Pacifica High School;
• Rancho Alamitos High School;
• Skylark Preschool;
• Maintenance and Operations Facility; and
• Lampson Bus Yard.

What we don't know:

While the chemical has been identified as methyl methacrylate, the exact volume of the material that has successfully leaked into the air remains undisclosed.

It's unclear what caused the tank to overheat. 

There have been no immediate reports of injuries.

Officials have not provided a firm timeline for when the faulty valve will be repaired.

What they're saying:

"I am closely monitoring the toxic leak at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove," Rep. Derek Tran, D- Westminster, said in a statement on Friday. "My office is in close contact with local police, fire, and emergency response officials as they work to contain the hazardous materials, assess air quality, and ensure residents and first responders are safe.

"I am in contact with federal disaster relief officials, including FEMA and the EPA, to urge them to provide any available federal assistance for Garden Grove. I encourage everyone in the affected area to follow guidance from local authorities and avoid the impacted zones until further guidance is issued," he added.

What you can do:

Evacuated residents must follow designated evacuation routes and strictly avoid all closed streets. 

Evacuation centers were established at Stanton City Hall, 7800 Katella Ave., and Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center, 13641 Deodara Drive.