GARDEN GROVE, CA — A toxic chemical leak in Orange County forced a slew of school closures and extended evacuation orders in the area, police said Friday.
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.
Evacuation centers for impacted residents were established at Stanton City Hall, 7800 Katella Ave. and the Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center, 13641 Deodara Drive.
The toxic leak also prompted Garden Grove Unified School District officials to cancel classes until further notice at the following campuses:
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.
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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