A leaking chemical tank at an aerospace facility in Orange County prompted an evacuation of tens of thousands of residents from six cities.
Tens of thousands told to evacuate after a 34,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate leaked at an aerospace plastics facility , sending potentially toxic vapors into the air.
A leaking chemical tank is going to fail or explode in an “unprecedented” event that saw officials order thousands of Orange County residents to evacuate parts of six cities until it happens, authorities announced Friday afternoon. Evacuations around the failing tank in Garden Grove expanded to include tens of thousands of residents in six Orange County cities: Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster. The current plan was for hazmat crews to monitor the tank’s temperature.
Officials have established a temperature threshold at which they will pull all crews from the area. The tank will then either explode or leak as it expands, ripping the tank. The Orange County Fire Authority responded to a hazard materials incident on Thursday at an aerospace company in Garden Grove.
Thousands evacuated around leaking Orange County chemical tank: ‘It fails, or it blows up’ Evacuation orders were reissued Friday for thousands of residents and schools were closed in Garden Grove due to continued concerns about a toxic chemical leaking from a large storage tank at an aerospace facility. A leaking chemical tank is going to fail or explode in an “unprecedented” event that saw officials order thousands of Orange County residents to evacuate parts of six cities until it happens, authorities announced Friday afternoon.
“At that point, we know the tank is going into thermal runaway,” Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said during a news conference Friday. “And we’re going to pull everybody out of the area, make sure it’s safe and let the tank do what it’s going to do. ”The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deployed stationary air monitors around the facility to measure levels of airborne chemicals.
An EPA spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether those monitors had detected methyl methacrylate. The South Coast Air Quality Management District also called on its staff to drive its air-monitoring van along the perimeter of the evacuation zone to collect real-time measurements and ensure there are no elevated levels of airborne chemicals in farther-flung areas.
“This information is being shared directly with Orange County Fire Authority to help them assess conditions on the ground, confirm the safety of the current evacuation area, and determine whether any changes to the evacuation zone are necessary,” said Nahal Mogharabi, a spokesperson for the air district. The air district is also tracking wind conditions and weather patterns -- which will be critical in determining which areas may be downwind in the event of a chemical release.
As of Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported light southwesterly winds in the area. The EPA encouraged residents with health and safety concerns to call the Orange County Sheriff’s emergency services hotline atMethyl methacrylate is a highly toxic, flammable liquid used in the production of plastics, according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It can easily evaporate and linger near the ground as a dangerous vapor.
If inhaled at high levels, these fumes can aggravate a person’s lungs, causing coughing, wheezing and chest tightness. It can also cause nausea, dizziness and skin irritation. Although the EPA has classified the chemical as “not likely” carcinogenic to humans, long-term exposure has been linked to serious organ damage.
The Orange County Fire Authority initially responded to reports of a hazardous materials incident at a business in the 12000 block of Western Avenue at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Upon arriving at the scene, they determined that methyl methacrylate, a volatile liquid used to make plastic, was leaking out of a 34,000-gallon vat. The fire authority’s hazardous materials response team began dousing the tanks at a Garden Grove facility Thursday, prompting an initial evacuation order that was lifted later that day.
But on Friday morning, officials said a faulty valve and the inability to remove and neutralize the toxic chemical inside the tank had escalated the incident and left them certain that the large tank would, at some point, either fail, leaking thousands of gallons, or explode. The tank, holding about 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of chemicals, was described as being “in crisis” Friday.
“At that point, we know the tank is going into thermal runaway,” said Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey during a news conference Friday. “There are literally two options left remaining. The tank fails and spills a total of about six 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 around them that have fuel or chemicals in them as well. ” The current plan, Covey said, was for hazmat crews to monitor the temperature of the tank. Officials have recognized a set temperature at which they will pull all crews away from the area. The tank will then either explode or leak as it expands, ripping the tank.
The incident took place at GKN Aerospace, which builds engine structures, landing gear and other products for commercial and military aircraft.
“The company actually creates acrylic plastics for the aerospace industry, and that’s the reason for the chemical,” said Orange County fire spokesperson Larry Kurtz.. “The problem with this chemical is it is a possible flammable liquid, and it does have exothermic properties. ” This means that the chemical can release heat when a reaction is triggered.
Firefighters used large unmanned firefighting hoses to help cool the leaking tank on Thursday, while industrial cleanup contractors will help with the next phase of the operation. A spokesperson for GKN Aerospace said that they are responding to the situation and working with fire crews and specialized hazardous materials teams.
Orange County Evacuation Aerospace Plastics Facility Toxic Vapors Methyl Methacrylate
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