A failed cooling system may have triggered the dangerous chemical emergency at a Garden Grove aerospace company that led officials to evacuate roughly 50,000 residents, according to interim Orange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern.
Authorities said a pressurized storage tank holding 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a highly flammable liquid used in plastic manufacturing, began heating up after the cooling mechanism stopped working for reasons still unknown.
“We don’t know why, but it stopped cooling,” McGovern told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.
“So that’s what started this event, to where the product heated up … and that’s how this whole response started. We’re just now being able to get to the tanks, so there’s definitely more to come of what caused it.”
The crisis erupted Friday when officials feared one of three chemical tanks at the aerospace facility could explode in a catastrophic boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion, or BLEVE, a blast capable of causing major destruction across the surrounding area.
The threat prompted mass evacuation orders affecting more than 50,000 people.
But after further inspections over Memorial Day weekend, crews discovered the tank had developed a crack that lowered internal pressure, easing fears of a massive explosion.
“Yesterday we really turned a corner,” McGovern said.
GKN Aerospace has been identified as the source of the significant chemical discharge.
President Donald Trump on Monday approved a federal emergency declaration after California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state leaders spent days warning the toxic leak in Garden Grove could erupt into a full-blown disaster.
But as panic spread, crooks allegedly seized the opportunity.
Police say looters and prowlers moved into eerily empty streets surrounding the industrial site, targeting evacuated homes while residents scrambled for safety.
Around 10 arrests have already been made in connection with the break-ins, according to law enforcement officials.
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