Garden Grove chemical tank update: Cleanup efforts to begin and legal claims mount

Craig Covey with the Orange County Fire Authority provided an update Friday evening, saying his team has made progress in cooling the tank.

"The focus that we have been telling our team is to think outside the box... In the last four to five hours, they've come up with some tremendous ideas that we're going to start taking action on as soon as possibly tonight," Covey said.

He added that their efforts have resulted in cooling the tank, with the temperature down to around 61 degrees, with "50 (degrees) being its happy place."

"Those efforts are succeeding, and it's giving us opportunity to reconsider engaging in close proximity to implement some of the concepts that were outside the box... and we can go in there and mitigate this thing," Covey said.

"It is not OK with me just to sit back and watch this thing blow up or fail. That is not acceptable to me," he added.

Crews will be working overnight, and the next update will be provided Saturday morning.

The Orange County Fire Authority is asking the public to refrain from calling with suggestions on how to handle the chemical tank leak.

"At this time, we ask the public to refrain from calling to offer suggestions so emergency personnel can keep communication lines focused on incident operations and public safety needs. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation," OCFA said in a post on X.

Seniors at Kennedy High School in the Anaheim Union High School District missed their graduation ceremony on Friday due to a chemical tank crisis happening at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove.

The district announced the Kennedy High School graduation, which was scheduled for 2 p.m., would be canceled due to the evacuation orders and emergency response happening in Orange County.

Kennedy High School and Handel Stadium are not located within the evacuation zone, but authorities said the decision was made "out of an abundance of caution and in the best interest of the safety and well-being of our students, families, staff, and community."

Small portions of West Anaheim and Cypress are included in the evacuation zone impacting 40,000 Orange County residents.

In a later announcement, the district announced the graduation ceremony was rescheduled for Tuesday, May 26, at 6 p.m. at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The district said further details regarding guest entry, parking and more will be shared by Kennedy High School.

The County of Orange Registrar of Voters says the voting center at the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center will not be operating Saturday, until further notice. The facility is serving as a care and shelter site for displaced residents.

"This emergency will not prevent residents from voting," county Supervisor Katrina Foley said in a statement. "The County of Orange Registrar of Voters moved quickly to protect voters, election workers, and displaced families while keeping voting access open. If you evacuated without your ballot, go to any Vote Center, request a replacement ballot, and cast your vote safely. Public safety comes first, and voter access continues."

The city also announced ballot drop boxes in the evacuation area remain unavailable. Those drop boxes include: Stanton Branch Library, Korean Martyrs Catholic Center and Chapman Sports Park.

Voters displaced by the evacuation may visit any vote center in Orange County to cast their ballot, the county said. Voters who evacuated without their ballot may request a replacement ballot at any vote center.