California chemical tank explosion threat eliminated, officials say
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About 50,000 residents were ordered to leave their homes in the Garden Grove area of Orange County, south-east of Los Angeles on May 22.
PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES – The threat posed by a toxic chemical tank explosion in Southern California has subsided enough to allow some of the 50,000 residents who were evacuated to return home, officials said late on May 25.
Garden Grove police chief Amir El-Farra said that the downsizing of the evacuation zone came after new data and discussions with subject-matter experts.
“For those that remain impacted, I know this may be frustrating. That number is approximately 16,000 of you. Please understand that we are doing this for your safety, and we will continue to work diligently,” he said.
Concerns that the flammable chemical in the tank could explode or leak toxic fumes prompted the authorities on May 22 to order evacuations in the densely populated Garden Grove area of Orange County, south-east of Los Angeles and about 8km from Disneyland.
The tank contains 26,000 litres of methyl methacrylate, a volatile liquid used to make plastics.
The crisis began late last week when the 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 on May 24.
On May 25, pressure inside the tank was declining, and the temperature had fallen to 34 deg C from 38 deg C, 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,” he said. “That is incredibly positive news as we turn the corner on this incident.”
Federal regulators had dispatched a team of experts to advise on possible outcomes, with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lee Zeldin telling CNN on May 24 that the “most catastrophic scenario” would be if one tank exploded and caused other tanks nearby to explode with it.
However, Mr Zeldin said “the most likely scenario” was “a low-volume release” that would allow the authorities to monitor, neutralise and contain the threat.
The tank is owned by GKN Aerospace, which operates 32 manufacturing locations in 12 countries, according to its website.
The British company, headquartered in Birmingham, develops airplane technology and said in a statement on May 24 that it is “working around the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak”.
Disneyland officials said that the “resort remains open to guests”, and they were keeping close tabs 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. AFP
