Officials lifted evacuation orders on Monday night for more than half of the 40,000 Southern California residents living near an unstable chemical tank that they had feared would explode.
Emergency personnel said they had averted the worst-case scenario of a major detonation, after struggling over Memorial Day weekend to contain the unstable industrial tank, filled with a toxic substance, in Garden Grove, Calif. But, officials stressed, the risk of a smaller blast or spill remained and they did not rescind the entire evacuation order.
Some 16,000 people who live closest to the site were still displaced as the Orange County Fire Authority’s standoff with the 22-year-old tank neared the end of its fifth day.
“It’s not over yet,” TJ McGovern, the fire authority’s interim chief, said at a news conference. “We still have work to do.”
The crisis, which first emerged on Thursday and eventually led to a presidential emergency declaration on Monday, eased after firefighters reported that a crack had relieved intense pressure on the tank, helping to drop temperatures inside.
“The trajectory is headed in the right direction for the first time since Thursday,” said Thomas J. Umberg, a state senator who represents the area that has been evacuated.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
