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California Evacuation Orders 05/26 05:59
(AP) -- Emergency officials lifted an evacuation order for some of the
people who live near a damaged tank containing a hazardous chemical in Southern
California after temperatures inside the tank fell enough to eliminate the risk
of a catastrophic explosion.
While there's no longer a risk of a major explosion at the GKN Aerospace
Transparency Systems plant in Garden Grove, there's still a chance for a
smaller blast or a fire, Orange County Fire Authority division chief Craig
Covey said during a news conference on Monday.
An overnight evaluation of the tank containing 6,000 to 7,000 gallons
(22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable,
showed a reduction of pressure inside the tank thanks to a crack that was
discovered Sunday. About two-thirds -- roughly 34,000 -- of the evacuated
residents can go home as a result, Covey said.
"It's not over yet. We still have work to do," Covey said. "We still have to
mitigate a fire and very small explosion concern, and also a spill potential."
Officials began ordering residents of Garden Grove, near Los Angeles, to
evacuate their homes on Thursday after the tank overheated, and by the weekend
about 50,000 residents had been told to leave.
Officials said they needed to cool the tank to prevent a toxic leak or
explosion. The tank's interior had cooled to 93 degrees F (33.9 degrees C),
Covey said Monday, down from 100 degrees (37.7 degrees C) a day earlier.
Orange County Health Director Regina Chinsio-Kwong said she wanted to
reassure everyone who is returning home that they can feel safe. Exposure to
methyl methacrylate can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological
problems and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the federal
Environmental Protection Agency.
"There was no contamination. There were no fumes. There were not vapors that
came from this incident," she said at the news conference. "There was not a
leak. So it should be, you should feel comfortable going home even if you're
across the street from that new zone line."
Environmental risks remain
The tank might eventually cool enough for crews to safely stabilize and
drain the remaining material without triggering a spark or ignition, said
Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University engineering professor who has studied
environmental contamination.
Whelton cautioned there is still some risk of an explosion while the
chemical inside the tank remains hot and reactive. He said temperatures need to
fall closer to ambient levels -- roughly 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to
21.1 degrees C) -- before conditions are considered significantly safer.
As the interior temperature of the tank increased, methyl methacrylate --
which is used to make plastics -- converted from liquid to gas, ramping up the
pressure and risk of explosion, Whelton said.
Some of the methyl methacrylate may already have hardened into a stable
plastic similar to plexiglass, reducing the risk inside the tank, he said.
Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen said the South Coast Air Quality
Management District will be monitoring the air for several months and the EPA
will be checking the sewer and storm drains.
County health officials have said the chemical is easy to smell and people
may notice it over a large area without being harmed.
Relief among residents after hearing the latest update
Authorities have not defined what a catastrophic explosion might mean, but
said Monday the worst-case scenario is off the table.
Kim Yen, a retiree who had to evacuate her Garden Grove home, said she has
been closely following the news and is relieved to learn that the worst has
passed.
"I am happy and many of us are happy but, still, we are still on our
evacuation," she said.
Yen, who lives two blocks from the plant, said she's ready to return home
but first wants to be sure it's safe. And, she said, she's been worried about
the emergency crews.
"They are really our heroes," Yen said.
The parking lot was full Monday at a large park in Fountain Valley, just
southwest of Garden Grove, as people sought refuge in an ad hoc shelter there
or pitched tents outside. Other people gathered in the park to enjoy Memorial
Day.
GKN is a British company that supplies aircraft manufacturers
GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, which owns the plant, is a British
company that makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields for military and
commercial aircraft.
GKN Aerospace technical specialists and the Orange County Fire Authority
removed external insulation material from the tank to help cool its contents,
according to a GKN Aerospace statement released Monday.
"We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing and our
priority remains its safe resolution, so that residents can return to their
homes as quickly as possible," the statement said.
GKN Aerospace says on its website that it employs about 16,000 people across
32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries and supplies technologies and components
used by major commercial and military aircraft manufacturers worldwide.
It remained unknown when the operation would reopen.
GKN Aerospace agreed in 2025 to pay state regulators more than $900,000 to
settle violations involving recordkeeping, permitting issues and nitrogen oxide
emissions, according to a report on the South Coast Air Quality Management
District website.
Aircraft manufacturing vulnerable to supply chain disruptions
Disruptions at facilities producing specialized aircraft components can be
difficult for the global aerospace industry to absorb because supply chains are
highly concentrated and already strained, said Richard Aboulafia, managing
director of the aerospace consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory.
Aboulafia said aerospace manufacturing differs from many other industries
because aircraft production rates are relatively low, leaving only a small
number of suppliers for many specialized parts and systems.
"There's just not a lot of margin in the system," he said.
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