Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The threat of a toxic chemical tank explosion is off the table, but some 50,000 evacuated residents need to remain in place, fire officials in California said Monday. “We are happy to report that the threat…has been eliminated,” TJ McGovern, interim fire chief for the Orange County Fire Authority, said in a video on X. “The evacuation zones are still in play,” he said. “Please abide by those evacuation zones.”
“There is still an ongoing threat to public safety,” the Orange County Fire Authority said separately, in a post on X. Concerns that problems with the flammable chemical in the tank could lead to an explosion prompted authorities on Friday to order tens of thousands of residents to leave their homes in the Garden Grove area of Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles. Some 50,000 residents have been affected in the heavily populated area about five miles from Disneyland. The tank contains 7,000 gallons (26,000 liters) of methyl methacrylate, a volatile liquid used to make plastics.
The crisis began late last week when authorities detected a leak in the tank, and subsequently a crack, though they did not say if the two were related. “There is currently no active leak, and continuous live atmospheric monitoring confirms there are no chemicals leaking,” county fire officials said late Sunday.
On Monday, pressure in the tank was declining, and the temperature had fallen to 93F (34C) from 100 degrees (38C), Orange County Fire Authority Incident Commander Craig Covey said. “The crack is there. We have verified that it’s there, and the tank has released its pressure,” Covey said. “That is incredibly positive news as we turn the corner on this incident,” Covey said.
Federal regulators had dispatched a team of experts to advise on possible outcomes, with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lee Zeldin telling CNN on Sunday that the “most catastrophic scenario” would be if one tank exploded and caused other tanks nearby to explode with it. However, Zeldin said “the most likely scenario” was “a low-volume release” enabling authorities to monitor, neutralize, and contain the threat.
The tank is owned by GKN Aerospace, which operates 32 manufacturing locations in 12 countries, per its website. The Birmingham, UK-headquartered company develops airplane technology and said in a statement Sunday that it is “working around the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak.” Disneyland officials said the “resort remains open to guests,” and they were keeping a close tab on the matter.
The EPA says methyl methacrylate is irritating to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes in humans. It can also cause respiratory and neurological reactions in cases of acute or prolonged exposure.
© 2024 AFP
