LA PALMAR, Calif. – A potential crack inside a toxic chemical tank in Southern California may be releasing pressure, officials announced Sunday, hoping the development could help avert a catastrophic steam explosion.
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Orange County Interim Fire Chief TJ McGovern said Sunday that the possible crack was identified during a visual inspection of the 7,000-gallon tank Saturday night at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove.
“This new information could change our trajectory and strategy for this event,” he said, noting that each team is reviewing and verifying the information.
This tank stores methyl methacrylate, a toxic chemical used in the production of resins and plastics. Tens of thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate due to concerns about a possible explosion or leak, and many are staying in evacuation centers.
McGovern told NBC News that crews are trying to confirm that the crack is relieving pressure inside the tank. If so, it means that the possibility of BLEVE (boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion) is no longer expected.
“There’s still a chance of an explosion,” he said, but BLEVE did not occur and it was “very, very dangerous, much worse than an explosion.”
If BLEVE were still possible, the evacuation zone would be wider, but once that concern was eliminated, the evacuation zone would be smaller and crews would focus on cooling the tanks, he said.
McGovern added that air monitoring showed the potential cracks did not lead to the release of toxic air.
A GKN Aerospace spokesperson said on Sunday that the company was monitoring the status of “impacted material” and that crews were working “around the clock to mitigate the risk of leakage.”
Orange County Fire Incident Commander Division Chief Craig Covey told NBC News on Saturday that if the tank exploded, a nearby 15,000-gallon tank and a 4,500-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate could also explode.
Officials are also concerned that the tank could burst, releasing toxic substances into waterways.
“What we’re talking about may be one of the worst chemical accidents in California history,” Covey said.
Officials said the explosion would likely have a radius of up to 800 meters, causing severe damage to structures and spreading toxic vapors into the air.
With 50,000 people under evacuation orders, shelters in Orange County are filling up with desperate locals.
Lydia Green, who lives in Anaheim, about a mile from the facility, is one of them.
“I’m nervous, I’m scared, I’m devastated,” Green told NBC News on Sunday at a shelter at John F. Kennedy High School near La Palma. “I went without medication. I didn’t have food, I didn’t have a hotel, I didn’t have basic needs. I didn’t have a hotel. It was very difficult.”
She and her partner, Eugene Smith, were sleeping in their car. Smith described the ordeal as “like living in a nightmare” and fears the devastating explosion and its aftermath.
“Blow everything up and contaminate everything. Everything. That’s where we live. That’s our home,” he said.
Jaden Gebeleinis was also at the evacuation center and said he was nervous because he lives on the border of the evacuation zone.
“It’s very upsetting. … I wonder why they would have a facility like this right next to so many homes. And it’s upsetting to me, too,” he said. “Hopefully it’s managed properly and the worst-case scenario doesn’t happen, because it’s people’s homes and it’s probably going to have a much wider impact than they’re letting on.”
The American Red Cross announced Sunday that six shelters for evacuees across the region were nearing overnight stays or at capacity.
Mr McGovern said there was no estimate yet as to when residents would be able to return home.
Orange County fire officials said concerns first arose Thursday after a “vapor release” occurred in the 7,000-gallon tank. Further investigation revealed that the temperature in the tank had increased.
Firefighters are using sprinklers and hose lines to cool the tank. McGovern said during the team’s operation Saturday night, crew members noticed a thermometer pin reading a high of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning the actual temperature inside the tank could be much higher.
Garden Grove is located in northern Orange County, approximately 55 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 6 miles from Disneyland in Anaheim.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Orange County on Saturday. He asked President Donald Trump on Sunday to declare a state of emergency to aid response efforts in the county.
McGovern said officials are working together and using “outside-of-the-box thinking” to come up with solutions and get families back into their homes.
“We have to get them back, but I guarantee you we won’t get them back until it’s safe,” he said.
Steve Patterson and Shanshan Dong reported from La Palma and Marlene Lenthang from Los Angeles.
