Garden Grove tank crisis: OC firefighters on 'all-night mission' to eliminate threat of explosion
Garden Grove chemical crisis: Push to stop explosion threats
An all-out effort is underway to eliminate chances of a possible explosion in Garden Grove. This as Sunday marks Day 4 of crews and scientists scrambling to cool down a damaged chemical storage tank.
The damaged chemical tank in Garden Grove may have a crack in it, "which could potentially be relieving some of the pressure" and lower the risk of an explosion, fire officials said Sunday.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for more than 40,000 people in the area as officials determine their next steps. Here’s the latest:
Not out of the woods
8:35 p.m. PT: Orange County Fire Authority's (OCFA) interim chief TJ McGovern says crews will conduct an "all-night mission" to confirm the threat of an explosion has been eliminated.
While the push to bring down the chances of an explosion to zero percent sounds promising, the mission appears far from over, McGovern inferred in his update.
"We're gonna be conducting a mission tonight. It'll be an all-night mission in order to confirm that the pressure in the tank has been released and that the BLEVE threat is eliminated. The BLEVE threats is the worst case catastrophic event that we've been talking about. We are not there yet. We need to run this operation tonight," McGovern said.
Garden Grove tank faces explosion or leak
A damaged chemical storage tank is in danger of possibly exploding in Garden Grove, California.
Explosion risk still in effect
5:50 p.m. PT: FOX 11's Matthew Seedorff reports the failing toxic chemical tank is now above the 100°F threshold on its gauge. The Orange County Fire Authority warns that the high temps signal that the risk of catastrophic failure or explosion that was feared earlier in the weekend remains.
Evacuation centers filling up fast
3 p.m. PT: Most of the evacuation centers have reached capacity, according to Garden Grove city's website. Below is a list of places that were offering spots for those ordered to evacuate:
- Los Amigos High School, 16566 Newhope St., Fountain Valley
- Savannah High School, 301 N. Gilbert St., Anaheim, 714-220-4262
- Golden West College, 15744 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach
- John F. Kennedy High School, 8281 Walker St., La Palma [Marked as full]
- Freedom Hall, 16801 Euclid St., Fountain Valley, 714-973-6600 [Marked as full]
- Oceanview High School, 17071 Gothard St., Huntington Beach [Marked as full]
Some shelters may be at capacity. Tap or click here for the latest information.
Potential crack in tank could relieve pressure
11:40 a.m. PT: Orange County Fire Authority interim Fire Chief TJ McGovern said a specialized team was able to further inspect the tank overnight. Firefighters found a potential crack in the tank, "which could potentially be relieving some of the pressure in there."
McGovern said the potential crack is being evaluated, as it could change the strategy for how to best respond.
Evacuation orders were reissued Friday for thousands of residents and schools were closed in Garden Grove due to continued concerns about a toxic chemical leaking from a large storage tank at an aerospace facility. GKN Aerospace Transparency area on
"Last night was a successful operation for this emerging incident," McGovern said.
What's next:
McGovern said more information will be released Sunday afternoon. Check back for updates.
Tank could explode or leak
The backstory:
The incident began around 3:30 p.m. Thursday at GKN Aerospace, located at 12122 Western Ave.
That's where a 34,000-gallon storage tank containing methyl methacrylate (MMA)—a toxic, highly flammable liquid chemical used to manufacture acrylic plastics—became severely overheated.
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.
Saturday, authorities said the tank could no longer be mitigated or secured, leaving only two final outcomes.
Evacuation zone grows in OC over hazmat incident
Around 40,000 people remain under evacuation orders in Garden Grove, Stanton, Anaheim, and Westminster.
"One, the tank fails and spills a total of about 6,000 to 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 that are around them that have fuel or the chemicals in them as well," said Chief Covey.
It’s unclear if options have changed since the potential crack was discovered.
First responders have constructed "containment barriers" around the site to block potential liquid runoff from entering storm drains, river channels, or the ocean.
Evacuations
Local perspective:
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
>> TAP OR CLICK HERE TO SEE A MAP OF THE EVACUATION ZONE <<
Officials in Southern California clarified that the evacuation area was divided into a handful of zones, including three circular "blast zones" closest to the plant, with likely severe, moderate and light damage in the event of an explosion.
Beyond that, three other zones were identified: Areas of flammability where fire or flash fire could occur, areas that were "immediately dangerous to life and health, where it would cause injury if anybody inhales or is impacted by the product in question," according to Nick Freeman, division chief with the OCFA, and a large "non-hazardous zone" where people could still smell odors from a leak.
Information For Evacuees
What you can do:
Important Phone Numbers:
- Garden Grove Emergency Hotline: (714) 741-5444
- Orange County Public Information Hotline: (714) 628-7085
- OCFA Medical Information Hotline: (714) 538-2501
- For emergencies, call 911
Thousands under evacuation orders in OC over chemical leak
Evacuation orders were initially issued Thursday, but they were lifted Thursday night when crews believed they were making progress mitigating the situation. But Friday morning, the orders were re-instituted "due to changing conditions," according to the OCFA.
Emergency Shelters
- Los Amigos High School, 16566 Newhope St., Fountain Valley
- Savannah High School, 301 N. Gilbert St., Anaheim, 714-220-4262
- Golden West College, 15744 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach
- John F. Kennedy High School, 8281 Walker St., La Palma [Marked as full]
- Freedom Hall, 16801 Euclid St., Fountain Valley, 714-973-6600 [Marked as full]
- Oceanview High School, 17071 Gothard St., Huntington Beach [Marked as full]
Some shelters may be at capacity. Tap or click here for the latest information.
Other helpful resources in Orange County:
- Senior Services, city of Orange, 170 S. Olive St., 714-538-9633
- Orange County Office of Aging and Disabilities, 714-480-6450
- Westminster Senior Center, 8200 Westminster Blvd., 714-895-2878, SeniorCenter@Westminster-ca.gov
- Orange Senior Citizen Center, 170 S. Olive Street, 714-538-9633, 714-538-9633
- Orange County Social Services, 2020 W. Walnut St. Santa Ana, 714- 825-3000, 714-834-4400
The Source: This article includes information from Orange County Fire Authority and previous FOX 11 reporting.