OC toxic tank on path to spill or explode; crews find cracks that could be relieving pressure

Most of the available shelters for Orange County residents are at or near capacity, with tens of thousands of residents displaced.

The evacuation zone for a toxic chemical crisis unfolding in Orange County covers the west side of Garden Grove, the entire community of Stanton, and small portions of West Anaheim, Cypress and Buena Park. There are nine shelters set up, and almost all of them are completely full.

It was another night away from home for tens of thousands of Orange County residents. The threat of a catastrophic explosion or a toxic leak at a Garden Grove plant forced mandatory evacuations.

Many families are spending a second night sleeping on cots at John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma.

Ju Pyo, her husband and three children had no luck finding a hotel room, so they came to the shelter.

"We are the last family allowed to come in at this point. It was like 10:30 or 11 in the morning. So we are lucky," Pyo said.

Several shelters have been opened to support residents of Garden Grove and at least a half dozen surrounding communities forced to evacuate because of the danger.

The Red Cross is providing the families with meals and supplies.

"Gotta go somewhere safe, right? Gotta think about the kids," said Jessica Gonzalez of Stanton.

Some residents are expressing frustration about the amount of time it's taking to solve the crisis.

"If there's an explosion, there's going to be stuff in the air, and if there's a leak, there's going to be stuff in the air. So, what is the choice?" said resident Lisa. "We all want to be in our homes."

Others say they don't want to take chances. They will wait until the danger is over.

"They're all experts working all together to find an answer," said Pyo.

The race continues to prevent a chemical catastrophe in Garden Grove. An overheating tank at GKN Aerospace is at imminent danger of leaking the toxic chemical MMA or exploding.

The race continues to prevent a chemical catastrophe in Garden Grove. An overheating tank at GKN Aerospace is at imminent danger of leaking the toxic chemical MMA or exploding.

Firefighters are using drones every 10 minutes to monitor the temperature of the tank. They say their priority is keeping the tank cool, buying experts more time to come up with a solution.

With over 50,000 people evacuated from their homes, the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) is calling in the best of the best for help.

"Resources with all different agencies. We've got subject matter experts, chemists, scientists. We're all working around the clock, trying to find the best solution," said Wayhowe Huang with OCFA.

OCFA Chief Craig Covey says the goal is to protect residents' homes and also the environment.

"The next phase has been preventing further movement of anything. If it comes out of the tank into the waterways and possibly out to the ocean, we want to protect the environment," Covey said.

In a post on social media, OCFA Division Chief Nick Freeman and Dr. CK, the Orange County Health Officer, showed a potential blast map, which could affect nearby neighborhoods if the tank explodes.

Officials said points on the map could change by the morning.

Covey explained why the temperature is rising inside the tank.

"So we think it's doing its normal curing process. Anything that does this, like cement does, even cement is warm in the middle as it's curing. That's part of the chemical process. It creates heat as it is forming itself," Covey said.

So far, no injuries have been reported. It's unclear what initially caused the chemicals to overheat.

AIR7 video shows firefighters back at the scene of a toxic chemical tank crisis at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove.

AIR7 video shows firefighters back at the scene of a toxic chemical tank crisis at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove.

Fire crews have mostly been staying away from the property, which is at imminent risk of exploding or spilling as the toxic chemical inside the tank continues to heat up.

Around 10:40 p.m. Saturday, crews with flashlights were seen surrounding the tank. Officials said the firefighters are part of a larger effort to try to find any solution they can to stop a potential disaster.

Earlier in the night, firefighters were again seen outside the tank. In that instance, officials said they had to usher members of the water department onto the property because there were issues with the water line being used to try to cool the tank.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office has established an anonymous tip hotline and online reporting form to gather information on the chemical tank crisis unfolding in Garden Grove.

The incident has forced the evacuation of 50,000 Orange County residents as a tank containing an extremely toxic chemical remains under threat of exploding or spilling at GKN Aerospace.

Anyone with information related to the circumstances of what led up to the incident, including but not limited to specific details of the release, information about the industrial operations of the facility, the quality and frequency of maintenance of the tanks and systems at issue and any other relevant information at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, is encouraged to call the Orange County District Attorney Anonymous Tip Hotline at 714-347-8714 or fill out an anonymous online form at www.ocdistrictattorney.gov.

Anonymous tips can also be emailed to tipster@ocdistrictattorney.gov.

The DA's office says the information submitted will assist law enforcement in investigating the origin of the tank crisis and identifying those responsible.

For now, it's unknown what caused the methyl methacrylate in the tank to begin overheating.