California chemical tank emergency led to thousands needing to evacuate their homes

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]This reminds me of the burn pit in in Iraq. You know, the smell. It's It's just ridiculous that we have to just sit here not knowing >> right there behind the tanks and I'm ground zero. And it's like I don't want to at this point in my life have to recreate my life versus recreate my home. What more can I do? I can't physically do and be scared and plan.

[00:00:26]I'm just waiting it out like what are we all doing? But we're waiting out together and everybody, we haven't had a riot. Nobody's fighting in there. We're all together just happy and and trying to wait for the best.

[00:00:37]>> We've heard that folks have been jumping around trying to find a shelter. And it really is important that we have a new shelter that we're trying to do everything that we can to help as many people as we can.

[00:00:47]>> After last night when we had our firefighters in there and get visualizations, we noticed a potential crack towards the top. And what that showed us was that it could not be as high pressure as we thought we could crack. We had a reading where one of the triggers went off. So we had the mission, but what we got was significant intel for us to come back and vet and validate that information on that operation we did last night. It was a very high-risk, low frequency operation, but we got positive info.

[00:01:21]Authorities in Southern California are desperately trying to cool off this tank that's full of a highly toxic and flammable chemical. If it gets too hot, it could explode.

[00:01:32]>> It's been averaging about a degree an hour increasing.

[00:01:36]>> Orange County Division Chief Craig Kov says the tank should be at around 50°, but Saturday temperatures reached as high as 90. This is at the GKN Aerospace plant in Orange County. The company issuing a statement Saturday saying in part, "We are working tirelessly with all relevant experts to resolve the situation as safely as possible." For the past 2 days, authorities have been spraying the tank with water to help cool it off. It's full of methylmethylry.

[00:02:05]It's a chemical used to manufacture plastics. It can cause skin irritation, respiratory issues, and headaches if people are exposed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That's why authorities have evacuated thousands of people who live and work in the 9 square mile area around the facility.

[00:02:22]>> We understand that this is frightening.

[00:02:24]We understand that people are worried about their homes, their businesses, their pets, and their loved ones.

[00:02:28]>> Shelters have been set up to help people who had to evacuate in some hotels are offering discounts. Health officials say the air should be safe outside the evacuation area. Still, many residents say they're concerned.

[00:02:40]>> Hopefully, they can do something because it's really dangerous. and nobody knows anything. Nobody can really give us any details about what's going on.

[00:02:48]>> Disneyland parks are just outside the evacuation zone in Anaheim. The mayor there says they are monitoring the situation very closely.

[00:02:56]>> The biggest catastrophic worst case scenario to the public and the first responders was the threat of a levy. And I'm happy to share due to the work of all our stakeholders and cooperators and OCFA and our partners that threat eliminated. A chemical blast could still occur, officials say, but the chance of a major catastrophic vapor explosion is off the table. The threat of an explosion prompted evacuation orders for 50,000 residents inside a potential blast zone covering about 9 square miles surrounding the GKN aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California. Officials say it's still too soon to say when people could return home. There's still a threat out there and we need the public to keep to those evacuation zones until we deem it safe for them to come back. GKN apologized to evacuated residents and businesses in a statement Sunday and said it's working with emergency services and hazardous materials teams to monitor the condition of the affected material and are working round the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak. Crews worked overnight to investigate a crack in the chemical tank, which contains 7,000 gallons of a chemical known as MMA. Authorities said the crack might ease pressure and help prevent an explosion that could hurl debris into homes miles away.

[00:04:12]>> A frustrating few days for thousands displaced, wondering when they'll finally get to go home.

[00:04:18]>> It's been a little stressful, you know, just because like obviously we're not in the comfort of our own home. For Cassandra Hernandez, it's more than just an inconvenience. Her mother, who she helps care for, has health problems, and she's taking care of a four and sevenyear-old.

[00:04:33]>> Just try to keep busy, you know, cuz yeah, it is a confined space, but um it's a lot.

[00:04:40]>> She's not alone.

[00:04:41]>> Yeah, it was scary. Very scary.

[00:04:43]>> The Smith family returned from errands last week and was told to leave immediately. All they left with was the clothes on their back. Um, some people from UCLA um, just brought us some clothes today, thank God, so we can finally change. I've been in this since Thursday.

[00:04:58]>> The American Red Cross and other volunteer groups doing everything they can at Golden West College to keep people comfortable.

[00:05:04]>> Really good.

[00:05:05]>> Yes.

[00:05:06]>> While local businesses like Fahalic donated their own food for free, even though one of their locations is also included in the evacuation zone.

[00:05:14]>> So, we don't open that one. So we we can feel how people feel as well. We can relate it how they feel. So we just want to help.

[00:05:22]>> We watched the CBSLA News at 6 with the Hernandez family as a press conference gave updated evacuation zones.

[00:05:29]>> And I can now tell you that we can reduce our evacuation zone area.

[00:05:33]>> The new zone went from the larger outlined area reduced to just the shaded area in orange.

[00:05:39]>> I think we're able to go home.

[00:05:40]>> You do?

[00:05:41]>> Yes.

[00:05:41]>> Okay.

[00:05:42]>> Not to the west, you said. Right. This is that way, right? Yeah, we're able to go home. We're off and not in Cella.

[00:05:48]>> Oh my gosh.

[00:05:49]>> Y >> you guys, we get to go home.

[00:05:53]>> Cassandra and her family.

[00:05:54]>> We get to go home.

[00:05:56]>> One of the lucky ones who gets to pack up and head out.

[00:05:59]>> Rough, rough, rough four days, but we did it. We did it. We managed by the grace of God.

[00:06:06]>> For evacuees living inside these shelters, the waiting has become one of the hardest parts.

[00:06:12]>> Something stressful. The kid is actually very scared.

[00:06:16]>> That uncertainty continues hanging over families like Wendy Jaw and her husband and kids.

[00:06:22]>> I stay at the Cypress uh civic center, but we uh sleep in the car.

[00:06:27]>> Was the shelter packed?

[00:06:28]>> Uh the shelter uh yeah, I cannot go to their home and cook, right? So yeah, they uh they give the food. It's helpful. And while evacuees wait for answers, Garden Grove Police Department support service dogs Nelly and Thor are reporting for duty, trying to provide some comfort.

[00:06:45]>> We're going to all the evac centers just check it out, make sure everyone's okay.

[00:06:48]>> Community members also stopping by with donations.

[00:06:51]>> Hot dogs bringing it in to help.

[00:06:53]>> Andy Murphy with Punk Rock Saves Lives, a nationwide music-based nonprofit, was born and raised in Orange County. to have this going on in your own community. Um, I feel bad for people that, you know, left for work and couldn't come back to their homes.

[00:07:07]>> But for many evacuees, the longer this stretches on, the harder it becomes to find stability.

[00:07:13]>> It was a last resort.

[00:07:14]>> Gilbert Mata says nearby hotels filled up fast as displaced families compete with Memorial Day weekend visitors.

[00:07:21]>> We have rooms for the next couple days, >> but some evacuees not so lucky. Some resorting to living in their cars, setting up tents just to get by.

[00:07:30]>> It adds up.

[00:07:31]>> And until those evacuation orders lift, those living inside shelters or inside their cars say all they can do now is wait and hope.

[00:07:40]>> Yeah, it's so scary.

[00:07:43]>> Spending the night in a tent wasn't something the Lopez family planned to do.

[00:07:47]>> Like they came and said, "You got 20 minutes to get out your house, get, you know, grab your stuff and go."

[00:07:51]>> They live only a minute walk from the chemical plant in Garden Grove. Thursday night they slept in the car. Friday they stayed in a hotel, but after running out of money, they found out about the Garden Grove Elks Lodge.

[00:08:03]>> You open the door and your family walks in and you're like, "Do you need a place?" And they just start crying.

[00:08:08]>> The Elks Lodge is not an official evacuation site. But a group of Elks volunteers decided to open their doors and parking lots anyway because they have the space, laundry, and big hearts. It's just kind of been this big huge community of just taking care of our neighbors and our friends and our community.

[00:08:28]>> But the helpers have helpers like 18-year-old Samantha Aa Flores, who on the eve of her high school graduation hosted a donation drive through her group Mona Initiative, which she started last summer to assist families affected by immigration raids. We were collecting food, um, hygiene, even toys because I mean, little kids, they want toys. But it kind of just trickled out into just helping everyone.

[00:08:52]>> I grabbed some snacks.

[00:08:53]>> Her social media post reached neighbor Yolanda Dominguez.

[00:08:56]>> I just said, "Oh, I'm going to grab whatever I have and I'm going to bring it over." I didn't have time to go to the store, though. I >> Thank you so much.

[00:09:02]>> Snacks, toiletries, blankets, >> little protein drinks. Thank you.

[00:09:07]>> Anything she had at home for those in need.

[00:09:09]>> Well, we'll see you there.

[00:09:10]>> Yeah, no problem. Yeah. Ava Flores and her family drove their collection to a large site on the Elks Lodge property.

[00:09:16]>> Hydration is important.

[00:09:18]>> Thank you.

[00:09:19]>> Where the help train continues to grow.

[00:09:21]>> We have the residents who are here staying with us evacuated wanting to help the other evacuees coming and it got to that point I'm just like this is amazing.

[00:09:30]>> Yeah.

[00:09:31]>> As stressful as this situation is, the Lopez family says they're grateful for every kind soul who has helped them in their time of desperation. They're hoping their three-year-old Lily will only remember this as an extended camping trip.

[00:09:45]>> Evacuated out of your home. It's just, you know, >> we didn't have any answers and they gave it >> and they gave it to us here. So, it's been a blessing and, you know, thank you, Elk Lodge.

[00:09:53]>> We are happy to report that the threat of avy is now off the table. That threat has been eliminated.

[00:10:00]>> Our members went into that exclusion zone again to validate what we were seeing and get those temperatures. The crack is there. We have verified that it's there and the tank has released its pressure. Additionally to that, the temperature has been stabilized and actually reducing. It is currently 93° down from 100°. That is incredibly positive news. As we turn the corner on this incident and reduce those first two options, >> we noticed the internal temperature reading was in the '9s. Significant decrease. And that's what we were looking for. So as of last night and throughout the night, that temperature has decreased from somewhere 100 and above down in the 90s. So that's a positive deflection that the cooling measures are working with the threat of a blevy eliminated, the temperatur.

[00:10:56]These are very positive enhancement threats we've had over the last two nights. Our goal is to get them back in their homes, get them back to their normal life. Um, but we can't do that until the threat of life safety has been completely eliminated. So, after the last two nights of our operations, we are working on getting them back. Um, we're not there yet. We still have some more work to do. We're still vetting and validating all the information we received yesterday, but we definitely are working on a plan trying to get them back, but our evacuation zones are still in place. So, on any big emerging incidents, there's a point you're looking for. It's called kind of when we turn the corner. And after yesterday, we did turn the corner on this event. And and the key was to eliminating the threat of that, which we did. So right now where we're at, we still do have a fire potential and also a spill potential. So throughout the night, once again, the crews were really working on to mitigate those two scenarios. So we're still doing the cooling measures on on the tank to keep that temperature down. We do have good readings on it.

[00:12:09]It's in the very low 90s and we're not seeing spikes on it. So that's tells us that it could potentially be stabilizing. Another operation that we've been doing is there's two other tanks in question and they have product in there as well. So another part of the operation is to neutralizing getting those other two tanks and starting to neutralize those products in those tanks. So that underway as far as a spill potential we definitely have dyed catch basins in place down uh down uh flood control channel mitigation factors. So, uh, crews worked all night and what we're going to do again this morning, we're going to vet and validate all the information we received last night. We have a lot of data on increased, um, temperatures that we were watching. They appear to stabilize. So, later this morning, we will have a strategic meeting and based off our findings last night and the operations done, we will assess our next steps and that is, is the potential still there?

[00:13:13]um should the potential again be reduced because of the fire then we will look at those new evacuation zones but as of right now we're not ready to make those commitments but it's definitely we are definitely looking at that because like I've always said we definitely want our people back in their homes to a state of normaly but we're not going to do that until it's safe to Bill.