'It fails' or 'it blows up': 2 options left for toxic chemical leak in Garden Grove, officials say
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (KABC) -- Emergency crews are sending an urgent warning that a chemical leak coming from a large storage tank at a Garden Grove aerospace facility could cause a spill or explosion.
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Authorities are calling the toxic chemical leak in Garden Grove a "crisis situation," triggering evacuation orders for roughly 40,000 residents and school closures.
AIR7 video from overhead on Friday afternoon shows unmanned fire hoses and an automatic sprinkler system spraying water on the overheated tank, which is facing a potential catastrophic failure.
The tank at GKN Aerospace is carrying a highly toxic and flammable chemical used to make plastics. Now, fire crews say the tank is going to fail in one of two ways: either with a spill of thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals or an explosion. Authorities just don't know when or how it will end.
WATCH: Garden Grove fire chief breaks down options left for toxic chemical leak
"There are literally two options left remaining," Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Division Chief Craig Covey said. "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."
Covey stressed that "there is no active gas leak, no plume in the area," but he warned residents to heed the evacuation warnings and remain out of the area due to the possible spill or explosion. Officials said air quality was being actively monitored in the area, and all readings were still within healthy limits.
Where is the evacuation zone?
The evacuation zone spans several blocks on the west side of Garden Grove. Authorities say 40,000 residents are impacted. They are urging everyone in the zone to leave for their safety immediately.
The evacuation zone covers the area north of Trask Avenue, south of Ball Road, east of Valley View Street and west of Dale Street. Evacuation centers were established at the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center at 13641 Deodara Dr. in Garden Grove and the Cypress Recreation and Community Center at 5700 Orange Ave. in Cypress.
The Garden Grove Police Department says they have done reverse 911 calls and are going door to door, urging people to leave. They say right now, there's about a 15% refusal rate.
A public information hotline was established at 714-628-7085. Another 24-hour call center is available at 714-741-5444.
GKN Aerospace, a leading global supplier of vehicle and aircraft components, manufactures acrylic plastics.
No injuries have been reported as of Friday afternoon.
It was unclear what initially caused the material in the tank to overheat.
Rep. Derek Tran, D-Westminster, issued a statement Friday saying he was "closely monitoring" the situation.
"My office is in close contact with local police, fire, and emergency response officials as they work to contain the hazardous materials, assess air quality, and ensure residents and first responders are safe," he said. "I am in contact with federal disaster relief officials, including FEMA and the EPA, to urge them to provide any available federal assistance for Garden Grove. I encourage everyone in the affected area to follow guidance from local authorities and avoid the impacted zones until further guidance is issued."
Gov. Gavin Newsom "has been briefed on the chemical leak in Garden Grove," the governor's office said in a statement, adding that the state's Office of Emergency Services, "And multiple state agencies are engaged and have been coordinating with local authorities since the incident emerged last night. Our office continues to closely monitor the situation, and we urge residents in impacted areas to follow guidance from emergency officials."
How did the leak escalate?
OCFA crews and Garden Grove police initially responded around 3:30 p.m. Thursday to GKN Aerospace at 12122 Western Ave. due to a chemical that became overheated inside a 34,000-gallon tank containing a toxic chemical used in plastic manufacturing, causing the tank to begin venting vapors and triggering a sprinkler system designed to spray water on the tank to cool the material inside. The tank is located in proximity to two other storage tanks.
Evacuation orders were initially issued on Thursday, but they were lifted Thursday night when crews believed they were making progress in mitigating the situation. But Friday morning, the orders were re-instituted "due to changing conditions," according to the OCFA.
As the morning wore on, the situation worsened, preventing mitigation efforts completely, and the evacuation zone was expanded to create a roughly one-mile buffer area around the tank.
Covey told reporters he went home Thursday night feeling authorities were making significant progress controlling the situation, but then he received a call at 4 a.m. reporting the situation had worsened. The main issue was a faulty valve on the compromised tank, which prevented crews from being able to access or offload the chemicals inside. Crews were also unable to introduce a stabilizer to neutralize the material.
What happens if the tank spills or explodes?
Authorities said one of two options is imminent: the 7,000 gallons of toxic chemicals inside the tank leak out, or the tank blows up.
Fire crews say the chemical spill is the better outcome because they have set up a containment barrier around the tank to prevent the material from entering storm drains, river channels or reaching the ocean. Still, there's no telling what will happen.
Covey said a spill of the chemical is actually the "best-case scenario, believe it or not," favorable to an explosion and a possible plume of toxic material spreading over the area.
What is the toxic chemical in the tank?
The chemical in the tank is called methyl methacrylate (MMA). It is a highly toxic, volatile, and flammable chemical. According to the EPA, it is used to make resins and plastics. Doctors say it can be irritating to the skin and eyes. If inhaled, it can cause irritation to the lungs and nasal passages. It can also cause nausea and dizziness, but it can also have more severe effects.
"Methyl methacrylate. It is a highly toxic, as previously stated, substance. So it could impact the respiratory system, cause skin irritation, eye irritation. The other concern we have is that it is extremely flammable. And in its current state, very reactive, and it can cause that explosion, which is why we have the hard perimeter in place," said Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Nick Freeman. It's a respiratory irritant, so it can start off very mild, but it can progress to a point where, yes, it would require hospitalization, if not more."
At this point, first responders are stressing that the response is not precautionary. It's either going to spill or blow up unless one of the many experts across the country they're calling comes up with an idea to stop it.
The situation is unprecedented, and the urgent message is to evacuate if you are in the evacuation zone.
"At very high levels, it can really cause severe respiratory distress and hospitalization. And this is where we really need everybody to head all of the evacuation orders," said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the Orange County Deputy Health Officer.
The chemical can also affect birds and other animals. First responders have taken into consideration the potential for a plume.
What schools are closed?
The Garden Grove Unified School District announced that classes were canceled until further notice at the following campuses:
- Barker Elementary School
- Bryant
- Carver
- Enders Elementary School
- Garden Park
- Lawrence Elementary School
- Wakeham Elementary School
- Patton Elementary School
- Bell Intermediate School
- Alamitos Intermediate
- Pacifica High School
- Rancho Alamitos High School
- Skylark Preschool
- Maintenance and Operations Facility
- Lampson Bus Yard
City News Service contributed to this report.
