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

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has opened a criminal investigation into the chemical tank crisis.

He's ordered GKN Aerospace to preserve all records pertaining to the incident and the equipment.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has opened a criminal investigation into the chemical tank crisis.

The prosecutor's office has also established an anonymous tip line and online reporting form, calling on anyone - especially GKN employees - with information to come forward.

The district attorney wants to know how the disaster escalated so quickly.

"We need to know the answers to what everybody is asking," Spitzer said. "How could GKN, with a system failure of a cooling system on a dangerous chemical... how in the world in an urban setting did they not have any redundant system to back up the cooling system that failed?"

"To me, on its face, it's unconscionable."

The situation has forced 50,000 people out of their homes. It's still unclear what initially caused the material in the tank to overheat last week.

Fire crews have worked through the night on a dangerous mission to test the pressure inside the chemical tank.

They're trying to determine if a crack in the tank has relieved some of the pressure inside and reduced its risk of exploding.

Until officials release their findings, the threat of a catastrophic explosion remains, as well as evacuation orders for some 50,000 people in the area.

Fire crews in Garden Grove have worked through the night on a dangerous mission to test the pressure inside the chemical tank.

One Anaheim TikTok user drew widespread attention on social media after sharing a video showing her living room filled with 20 of her displaced family members.

As evacuations force 50,000 Orange County residents from their homes, some families are stepping up to provide shelter, opening their doors to relatives in need despite crowded conditions.

One Anaheim TikTok user drew widespread attention on social media after sharing a video showing her living room filled with 20 of her displaced family members.

Yasmin Martinez, who lives with her mother, said their decision to take in family members was immediate. She welcomed our Eyewitness News crew inside her home to show how she and her family are making the best of a difficult situation.

"It's been fun. A lot of playing and running around, sometimes there's moments of stress, but other than that, it hasn't been bad," Martinez said.

The group has tried to maintain a sense of normalcy, gathering for large backyard cookouts, playing games and spending quality time together in very cramped quarters.

For those staying there, the support has been critical.

"I'm very thankful that they opened the doors. With me and my kids, because I'm the one who has the kids, and that they're patient and willing to help out, knowing they're little. I'm very thankful they opened their doors," said Tyara Penuelas of Stanton.

Martinez said welcoming relatives during the emergency was never in question, even as their home quickly filled beyond its usual capacity.

Families displaced by a mandatory evacuation are scrambling to find safe places to stay, with some turning to beaches while shelters reach capacity.

Families displaced by a mandatory evacuation tied to a crisis at a Garden Grove chemical plant are scrambling to find safe places to stay, with some turning to beach parking lots while official shelters reach capacity.

Eyewitness News spotted at least a dozen RVs parked at Bolsa Chica Beach on Sunday night, but officers say they must leave.

Sam Garcia-Rojas, his wife and their two dogs have been living out of their RV at Bolsa Chica Beach while first responders tend to a looming disaster in Garden Grove.

"It's nice we call it home. It's safe in the meantime," Garcia-Rojas said. "It's been tight quarters."

Rows of RVs now line the beach parking lot, filled with evacuees seeking temporary refuge since Friday's mandatory evacuation.

However, state park administrators said in a post on X that beach sites are not designated evacuation centers and lack the facilities to support overnight guests.

Orange County officials have opened the county fairgrounds in Costa Mesa to accommodate RVs, but Garcia-Rojas said no spaces were available when his family checked.

"You would think in a crisis like this, what's wrong with letting us stay here all day as we've paid for the full day?" he said. "All these people have paid for a full day's use. All we are doing is sleeping here from 10 to six. We're not using anything of theirs. We have everything we need... We're not tapping into resources. All we are doing is parking."

With 50,000 people forced to evacuate, the crisis has overwhelmed Red Cross shelters to capacity. Freedom Hall in Fountain Valley and Savanna High School in Anaheim are among locations at capacity, leaving some evacuees with few options.

Samuel Campbell said he has been forced to sleep in a car with a friend in a parking lot.

"No, not right now," he said when asked if he had found shelter. "I just stay in the car with my friend. That's all we can do, for now, in the parking lot like everyone else. Most of them are staying too, overnight."

Local officials acknowledged the strain on the system and said efforts are underway to expand shelter availability.

"We've heard that folks have been jumping around, trying to find a shelter, and it really is important that we have a new shelter, that we're trying to do everything that we can to help as many people as we can," said Carlos Leon, Anaheim's mayor pro tem.

Late Sunday, the Red Cross announced it would open a new shelter at Los Alamitos High School -- one of the options Garcia-Rojas said his family may eventually have to consider.

"If it came down to that, of course, if we have to go, we have to go," he said, "But we're trying to make this work for all of us, because we're all centrally located to this location."

The Red Cross is expected to provide an update on the number of people staying at the community shelters on Monday.