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

Our investigative team has been looking into records for the company, GKN Aerospace, that owns the chemical tank, and we found several violations the company has faced.

According to records for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the company was hit with a notice of violation for several issues in April 2021. That included failure to maintain records, failure to obtain permits and other infractions.

Our investigative team has been looking into records for the company, GKN Aerospace, that owns the chemical tank, and we found several violations the company has faced.

A six-page document shows the company returned to "in compliance" and the case was closed after it paid nearly $1 million.

Then in March of 2025, the company was put in "notice to comply" before returning back to "in compliance" in November. That minor violation was over failure to provide records.

Eyewitness News reached out to GKN Aerospace for comment on the violations and they directed us to their most recent statement on the chemical tank crisis, which says, in part: "We continue to monitor the condition of the affected material and are working around the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak."

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.