Toxic Chemical Leak Forces Evacuation of Over 40,000 Near Los Angeles
Quick Look
- Over 40,000 residents near Los Angeles have been ordered to evacuate due to a toxic chemical leak at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove.
- A tank containing 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate is at risk of spilling or exploding, prompting emergency response efforts.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A toxic chemical leak at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California, has led to the evacuation of over 40,000 people. The leak involves methyl methacrylate, a volatile and flammable substance, from a pressurized tank.
More than 40,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes near Los Angeles in south California, after a toxic chemical started to leak at a manufacturing facility.
The pressurised tank contains about 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a highly volatile and flammable substance used to make plastic.
"There are literally two options left," Orange County Fire Authority division chief Craig Covey said on Friday: "The tank fails and spills... or, two, the tank goes into a thermal runaway and blows up."
The aerospace facility in the town of Garden Grove is about 5 miles (8km) from Disneyland, which is outside the evacuation zone and open as normal, and about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Local schools have closed as a precaution and the exits of several major roads have shut to limit access to the area.
"Smelling it doesn't mean you've reached a level that causes symptoms. But we don't want you to smell that," she said.
The evacuation zone has been expanded as fire crews worked through the night to lower the temperature of the chemical tank.
On Friday evening, officials said they had cooled the tank to about 16C (61F) and aimed to bring it down to 11C (51F). It's one of three such tanks at the facility.
Fire chief Covey told a news conference on Friday afternoon that if the tank spills, "very bad chemicals" would leak into the parking area surrounding the facility.
"Or two, the tank goes into a thermal runaway and blows up, affecting the tanks that are around it that have fuel or chemicals in them as well."
"This is not precautionary," he said. "This thing is going to fail, and we don't know when... We're doing our best to figure out when or how we can prevent it."
A hazmat team has been working with experts to find a way to depressurise the affected tank and limit exposure.
OCFA earlier said a cooling operation had been successful and crews had made progress towards safely draining the tank, but that an "inoperable valve" had created "additional operational challenges".
"I was woken up by the sirens going across our streets," Mark Olsen, who was evacuated to the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center, told NBC LA on Friday.
"Then I was told that they were evacuating, so I grabbed some stuff and got out of there," Olsen said.
But not knowing what would happen to the chemical plant, or when he could return home, was weighing on him.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The tank will fail and spill chemicals.
Very likely
The tank will go into thermal runaway and explode.
Possible
The evacuation zone will be further expanded.
Possible · Within days
Open Questions
- When exactly will the tank fail or explode?
- What are the long-term health effects of exposure to methyl methacrylate?
- What caused the initial leak and the inoperable valve?
- How long will the evacuation last?
