A week after a damaged tank of toxic chemicals in Garden Grove forced nearly 50,000 evacuations, officials lifted all evacuation orders Tuesday after averting a catastrophic explosion at GKN Aerospace facility, which manufactures windows for military and civilian aircraft. Residents are now demanding answers about what went wrong, what cleanup will look like, and how to prevent future incidents. Dozens of plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against GKN Aerospace, while left-wing activist groups are demanding the permanent shutdown of the facility, citing the disaster and the company's role as a subcontractor for fighter jets.
This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, A week after a damaged tank of toxic chemicals in Garden Grove forced nearly 50,000 evacuations, the immediate emergency is over.
But residents who Officials lifted all evacuation orders Tuesday after averting what could have been a catastrophic explosion at GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, which manufactures windows for military and civilian aircraft. Now, many in Orange County are demanding answers about what went wrong, what cleanup will look like and how to make sure it never happens again. (And here's how you canIs there a facility like the Garden Grove chemical tank near you?
How to find out If the near-disaster in Orange County has you worried, you can find out about facilities near you — and keep tabs on them by getting involved with government regulators. Detained and facing deportation: A father leaves his 4-year-old son back in LA Axel Pecero was arrested by federal immigration officials last summer. He chose to voluntarily leave the U.S. in hopes he can be reunited with his son in a few years.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. Dozens of plaintiffs have already filed at least seven lawsuits against GKN Aerospace over the debacle, the Orange County RegisterMeanwhile, several left-wing activist groups are demanding the permanent shutdown of GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove.
The activists, including representatives from Palestinian Youth Movement and Harbor Institute for Immigrant & Economic Justice, cite the recent disaster alongside the company’s role as a subcontractor manufacturing parts for fighter jets. The city of Garden Grove has reported at least $728,000 in preliminary costs to the Orange County Fire Authority related to the GKN incident, Garden Grove public information officer Jonathan Garcia told LAist.
That doesn’t include the cost of water used at the incident scene, vehicle- and equipment-related expenses, or materials and supplies purchases, he said. Water is sprayed on the tanks at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove in a bid to reduce the heat and pressure building up inside. Late last week, an industrial tank containing a flammable toxic substance called methyl methacrylate overheated at the aerospace facility and began leaking dangerous vapors.
The leak was caused by a failed cooling valve on the tank, authorities said. That triggered the tank’s pressure-relief value and spiked the chemical’s temperature to dangerous levels. An Orange County Fire Authority spokesperson told LAist that the first word of something amiss came from GKN, which notified authorities of the lead at 3:22 p.m. May 21.
The next day, authorities announced it was a near certainty the damaged tank would either explode or crack and spill thousands of gallons of pollutants into the area. A week later, authorities say they’d avoided disaster by injecting a neutralizing or inhibiting agent into a crack in the tank, turning the volatile liquid into a stable gel. The temperature in the tank remains stable around 90 degrees, authorities said Thursday.
There is no chemical leak, threat of fire or risk to the public, authorities said. OC Fire reduced the “safety zone” around the tank to 150 feet this morning. Now, the Orange County Health Care Agency hazardous materials team, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and GKN Aerospace are responsible for any removal and cleanup plans.
Orange County Health and South Coast AQMD did not immediately respond to questions about next steps but said any plan will be developed along with GKN Aerospace and that more details would be available soon. The company did not respond Thursday but told LAist in a statement last week it would “continue working alongside them and community partners as recovery efforts move forward.
” Water and air monitors have not detected any dangerous levels of pollutants around the site, according to local and federal authorities. A spokesperson for the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency told LAist on Thursday it is working closely with South Coast AQMD on a"cleanup and removal" plan and will provide technical advisory support as needed. You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit.
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Garden Grove Chemical Incident GKN Aerospace Evacuation Orders Lifted Toxic Chemicals Lawsuits GKN Aerospace
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