LIVE: Garden Grove chemical crisis reaches 5th day of firefighters trying to stop explosion

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - Firefighters and scientists are on an all-night mission to prevent a chemical plant in Garden Grove from leaking or exploding.

Crews working to eliminate threat of massive explosion

Crews worked through the night and into the morning for the night to eliminate the threat of a massive explosion. 

Monday marks Day 5 of crews responding to GKN Aerospace after one of its chemical tanks overheated to dangerous levels and one of its corners possibly cracked.

The potential leak or explosion has forced tens of thousands in parts of Orange County to evacuate as officials work around the clock to address the Garden Grove chemical crisis. Below are the updates:

Crews working to prevent explosion. 

6 a.m. PT: Officials said 50,000 people remain evacuated as the firefighters worked through the night and into the morning for the high-stakes operation. 

Evacuations

The current mandatory evacuation zone forms a one-mile buffer around the facility, encompassing parts of Garden Grove, Westminster, and Anaheim.

The boundaries cover the following areas:

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

The backstory:

The incident began on Thursday, May 21 at GKN Aerospace on Western Avenue in Garden Grove.

That's where a 34,000-gallon storage tank containing methyl methacrylate (MMA), a toxic, highly flammable liquid chemical used to manufacture acrylic plastics, began to overheat.

During the earlier stages of investigation, Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Division Chief Craig Covey said a faulty valve on the tank prevented crews from off-loading or introducing a neutralizing stabilizer into the chemical material.

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