Chemical tank in Garden Grove at 92 degrees Tuesday a.m. as crews work to lower temperature – Orange County Register
Fire officials said Tuesday morning, May 26, that the temperature of an overheated chemical container at a Garden Grove aerospace plant remained stable overnight, at 92 degrees as firefighters removed a ground hose that had been spraying water over the tank since Friday, authorities said.
“The goal is to see that temperature go down on the tank,” Fire Capt. Brian Yau said. “We removed one of the cooling measures. We want to see the temperatures without that water application.”
The tank, at GKN Aerospace in the 12100 block of Western Avenue, was still being hit with water from a facility system, he said.
Classes resume, businesses reopen as large chunk of evacuation zone is cleared in Garden Grove hazmat threat
Roughly 16,000 residents remain evacuated after the Orange County Fire Authority reduced the evacuation zone Monday, citing that the risk of a BLEVE – boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion – had been averted, officials said. Officials said a crack on the tank, discovered Sunday, was releasing pressure.
Evacuation orders remain in place for residents with a zone bordered by Orangewood Avenue to the north, Dale Street to the east, Knott Street to the west and Garden Grove Boulevard to the south, officials said. A timeline for when residents could re-enter their homes in that area was not known.
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Jonathan Wighton walks his daughters, Alice, 7, left, and Kelly, 4, to elementary school in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. As Alice raced into the schoolyard, Wighton said, the girls were excited to get back after an evacuation order from a potential chemical explosion. “They missed all the fun stuff they were supposed to do.” The family stayed with relatives several days and returned home late Monday. “Everything seems back to normal,” Wighton said. “Neighbors were active and lively, walking dogs and watering lawns.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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McGovern said that was “unacceptable” and that the authority “had to come up with options, solutions. That’s what we do.”
Yau on Tuesday said the water being used to cool the tank down goes into a storm drain and to the ocean, with authorities doing testing on the water after it hits the tank to make sure it is not contaminated.
“If there is material in the water, we have equipment in place to capture that material” with underflow dams – a specialized spill-containment barrier used in shallow bodies of water to trap floating pollutants, Yau said.
GKN Aerospace, based in the United Kingdom, has 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries and 16,000 employees, according to its website. The company supplies airframe and engine structures and landing gear, among other aerospace products.
The company, in a statement on Tuesday, May 26, said the evacuation zone was reduced “based on data and consultation with experts” and that to date “there have been no leaks or contamination.”
“We are continuing to work around the clock with the OCFA, the (Environmental Protection Agency) and all relevant federal, state and local agencies,” the statement read.
“We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing, and our priority remains the safety of our neighbors and our community,” the statement continued. “We request that all those affected follow instructions issued by local authorities and emergency personnel at this time.”
Methyl methacrylate – also known as MMA — is a highly toxic substance that can “impact the respiratory system, cause skin irritation and eye irritation,” Craig Covey, incident commander for OCFA, has said.
It is used as an ingredient in heat-resistant coatings in the aerospace industry and had a long history as an ingredient in products used in nail salons, but it was banned at salons in California since at least 2015.
