Incident Response
Emergency personnel work at the incident command post at the Los Alamitos Race Course Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Cypress, Calif. Water is sprayed on a damaged tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, Calif.
, on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after the tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday. The streets remain empty in Garden Grove, Calif. , on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility. An evacuation map is displayed at the incident command post at the Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif.
, on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Firefighters have repeatedly sprayed the tank with water in an attempt to cool the chemicals. The tank's interior reached 100 degrees Celsius Sunday, an increase of 10 degrees Fahrenheit since Saturday, according to Democratic state Sen. Tom Umberg.
Fire officials over the weekend discovered the tank had cracked, lowering the potential for a devastating blast, and it did not appear any of the highly volatile chemicals had leaked, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Wayhowe Huang said. Authorities are working to prevent a disaster as the temperature rises inside the tank, said officials. Gov.
Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday and asked President Donald Trump to issue an emergency declaration to bolster federal support for local and state officials. The tank at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft, holds 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate used to make plastic parts.
Monitoring tests found air pollution around the evacuation zone was within normal limits and specialized equipment is being used to ensure gas is not released, state and federal environmental officials said Saturday. Containment barriers have been set up to prevent the chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean in the event of a spill. Firefighters are working to cool off the chemical inside the tank to prevent a leak or explosion.
Drones were monitoring temperatures at 10-minute intervals to watch for any spikes. As the interior temperature rises, methyl methacrylate converts from a liquid to a gas and increases the pressure, according to Purdue University engineering professor Andrew Whelton, who said the crack could mean product or pressure is being released, reducing the chance of explosion. Officials are considering specialized methods to contain the chemical inside the tank.
The streets in the area are empty and several evacuation shelters are open, said officials. Exposure to methyl methacrylate can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological problems and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to fact sheets about the chemical. In the event of a disaster, specialized air monitoring will be crucial to conduct detailed tests for methyl methacrylate, said Whelton. Containment and explosion prevention are key goals for addressing this situation, officials said
Chemical Leak Fire Emergency Prevention Containment Disaster Response Methyl Methacrylate Air Quality Evacuation Order Hazardous Materials
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