GARDEN GROVE, CA — A toxic chemical leak in Orange County forced a slew of school closures and extended evacuation orders in the area driving thousands from their homes and businesses, police said Friday.
Firefighters have been unable to secure a massive 34,000-gallon hazmat tank at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove amid the risk that it could explode, impacting nearby tanks filled with fuel and hazardous materials, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra said about 40,000 people were affected by the evacuation order, and about 15% of them were refusing to leave.
He and other officials on the scene urged everyone to adhere to the orders, noting the dangerousness of the situation.
RELATED: Garden Grove Hazmat Crisis: Map Of Updated Evacuation Zone
Evacuation orders were re-issued Friday morning for the area north of Garden Grove Boulevard, east of Springdale Avenue, west of Dale Street and south of Orangewood Avenue, according to the Garden Grove Police Department.
As of 10:40 a.m., evacuation zones were updated to include north of Trask Avenue, south of Ball Road, east of Valley View Street and west of Dale Street.
It's a massive evacuation area encompassing homes, businesses and industrial parks.
"There are literally two options left remaining. One: The tank fails and spills a total of about 6 to 7k 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 that are around them that have fuel or chemicals in them as well."Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey
Covey urged residents to abide by current evacuation orders during a Friday news conference, citing the severity of the situation.
"We need to emphasize that [residents follow] these evacuation orders," Covey said.
"There is no active gas leak no plume in the area," he added. "We are setting up these evacuations in preparation for these two options: It fails or it blows up."
Evacuation centers for impacted residents were established at Stanton City Hall, 7800 Katella Ave. and the Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center, 13641 Deodara Drive.
A public information hotline was established at 714-628-7015.
The toxic leak also prompted Garden Grove Unified School District officials to cancel classes until further notice at the following campuses:
In addition, schools in the nearby city of Westminster were reported to have been sending students home.
The leak at GKN Aerospace at Western and Lampson avenues was initially reported around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Orange County Fire Authority officials said an industrial chemical had become overheated inside a 34,000-gallon tank, prompting a release of vapors into the air.
Rep. Derek Tran, D-Westminster, said the leak involved "methyl methacrylate, a volatile and flammable chemical."
Methyl methacrylate is a liquid used to make acrylic plastics.
Fire crews began spraying the tank with water in effort to cool it down, but in the meantime, buildings from Western Avenue to Beach Boulevard, and from Garden Grove Boulevard to Orangewood Avenue were evacuated, Garden Grove Police Department Sgt. Nick Jensen said.
Those evacuation orders, along with orders for the area along Lampson Avenue from Santa Rosalia Avenue to Western Avenue, were lifted at 8:40 p.m. Thursday, although street closures in the area — including Western Avenue from Garden Grove Boulevard to Chapman Avenue and Lampson Avenue from Santa Rosalia to Western avenues — remained in effect.
Early Friday morning, however, the OCFA announced that "due to changing conditions," the evacuation orders were being reissued.
According to the OCFA, "an inoperable valve on the tank has created additional operational challenges, preventing complete mitigation at this time."
"We recognize that evacuations place a significant burden on our community. Yesterday's cooling operation was successful, and the facility and industrial crews initially made progress toward product removal," the OCFA posted on social media.
Retired law enforcement officer Bob Van Gorder lives in the quiet neighborhood just west of the facility. Street sweeping was canceled Friday morning due to the hazmat situation, and six schools within a few blocks from eachother were eerily empty. Few neighbors were out on the overcast Friday morning.
"I heard the sirens yesterday at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. It's usually pretty quiet on this end of the city, so I knew something was going on," Van Gorder told Patch.
Van Gorder's wife called and warned him about the nearby evacuations. When police expanded the evacuation orders Friday, Van Gorder checked on some of his neighbors to make sure they were aware of the incident.
Some were worried, but Van Gorder assured them their quiet West Garden Grove neighborhood would be outside any potential blast zone, and that authorities would knock on doors and have them evacuate if it became a threat. Hours later, that evacuation order was issued, and his entire neighborhood was ordered to evacuate.
Tran issued a statement Friday saying he was "closely monitoring" the situation.
"My office is in close contact with local police, fire, and emergency response officials as they work to contain the hazardous materials, assess air quality, and ensure residents and first responders are safe," he said. "I am in contact with federal disaster relief officials, including FEMA and the EPA, to urge them to provide any available federal assistance for Garden Grove. I encourage everyone in the affected area to follow guidance from local authorities and avoid the impacted zones until further guidance is issued."
GKN Aerospace, a leading global supplier of vehicle and aircraft components, manufactures acrylic plastics.
No injuries have been reported.
It was unclear what caused the tank to overheat.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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