Evacuation centers fill up in Southern California as efforts continue to cool damaged chemical tank
A damaged chemical storage tank that authorities fear is at risk of exploding or rupturing in Southern California is gradually getting warmer despite efforts to reduce its internal temperature, a fire chief said Saturday.
No injuries were reported after the pressurized tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors at a company site in Garden Grove, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Evacuation orders were issued for 40,000 people, and several shelters remained open Saturday, including at three high schools. Officials have no timeline on when residents can return to their homes.
Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said Friday evening that efforts to cool the tank appeared to be working. But on Saturday he backtracked, saying a reading conducted by drones Friday showed the temperature on the outside of the tank, not the inside.
Cooling the tank is important because the liquid chemical's flashpoint is 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. If the chemical heats up, it can release a vapor that is harmful to people’s health. It can cause respiratory issues, itching and burning eyes, nausea and headaches, said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the Orange County health officer.
Covey said emergency crews were able to see the troubled tank’s temperature gauge in person late Friday.
“Unfortunately I do have to report that the temperature was 90 degrees," Covey said Saturday. “Yesterday morning it was 77 degrees when we backed down. It's been averaging about a degree an hour increasing.”
The concern is that the tank could fail and crack, releasing the liquid chemical onto the ground, or it could explode from pressure buildup, Covey said. If the contents spill, containment barriers have been set up to prevent the chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean, he said.
Purdue University engineering professor Andrew Whelton, who gets called into emergencies and disasters where public safety and health is at risk, said the “best-case scenario is that the tank springs a leak and spills the chemicals on the ground and people are warned about what to do to protect themselves.”
The damaged tank is located at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft. The tank holds between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons (22,700 and 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, used to make plastic parts.
“Letting this thing just fail and blow up is simply unacceptable to us,” Covey said.
He said the valves on the tank are broken or “gummed up” and prevented crews from removing the chemical or relieving the pressure on the tank.
In a statement, GKN Aerospace said it was focused on working to ensure the safety of the community, its employees and responding agencies.
Initially, residents in Garden Grove were ordered to leave. Evacuation orders were expanded Friday to some residents of five other Orange County cities — Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster. Some residents with pets said they planned to sleep in their cars.
Marco Solano, a 32-year-old resident, spent Friday night at his parents’ home. He said he was frustrated by the situation and was monitoring the news to see if he could go back to his home.
“I don’t think that they should have dangerous chemicals in a neighborhood area, especially that dangerous that they have to evacuate people,” Solano said. “But again, it's not up to me. I don’t make the laws. I don’t make the rules. We just have to do what is best I guess.”
Solano, who has multiple jobs, said he wasn’t feeling well Saturday, believing the stress of the chemical leak was exacerbating his anemia and ulcerative colitis.
“Right now I’m extremely tired. I have no energy. I’m super weak,” he said. “This has been affecting me quite a bit.”
He said he went to his apartment after work Friday to grab belongings and saw other residents who had not evacuated, and he was worried for them.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday declared a state of emergency in Orange County. The declaration will make state resources available to local agencies and allow the use of state-owned properties and fairgrounds as shelter for residents if necessary.
Garden Grove is about 38 miles (61 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles and next to Anaheim, home to Disneyland’s two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders as the Memorial Day weekend got underway. Park officials said they are monitoring the chemical incident and supporting park employees impacted by the evacuations.
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Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this story.
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