California chemical tank has cracked causing state of emergency, thousands to evacuate

About 50,000 residents of Garden Grove, California remained under evacuation orders while emergency teams responded to a potentially explosive situation at the GKN Aerospace facility. A chemical tank in the southeastern corner appeared to have cracked overnight. The tank holds about 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a highly toxic and highly flammable chemical used to make resins and plastics. Firefighters found a potential crack after approaching the tank to assess conditions. The incident began when chemicals in the tank exceeded a safe temperature, creating conditions for an exothermic reaction that could cause pressure buildup and an explosion. The damaged tank had begun to bulge outward and was continuously sprayed with water to keep it cool, while one nearby tank was safely drained.

"The tank, which is located in the southeastern corner of the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California, holds somewhere around 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a highly toxic, highly flammable chemical used in the manufacturing of resins and plastics. Late Saturday, firefighters approached the tank to "get eyes" on what was happening, TJ McGovern, interim county fire chief for the Orange County Fire Authority, said in a post on social media. "What they found was a potential crack in the tank.""

"The incident at GKN Aerospace began Thursday, according to emergency responders. It remains unclear exactly what went wrong, but the chemicals in the tank began to exceed a safe temperature. Methyl methacrylate is a clear, colorless liquid that is highly volatile and releases energy exothermically when it reacts. If that reaction occurs in a container, then it can cause a sudden pressure build up, effectively turning the container into an explosive. That's exactly what happened at a plant in the United Kingdom in October 2009."

"The tank in California suffered damage and had already begun to bulge outward, according to Craig Covey, the incident commander at Orange County Fire. The tank is being continuously sprayed with water to keep it cool. It sits next to two other tanks, one of which was safely drained and ne"

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