GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (KABC) -- There is no longer a threat of explosion, fire or chemical leak for a damaged tank at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, the Orange County Fire Authority announced on Tuesday night.
All evacuation orders were officially lifted at 7:30 p.m., allowing the final 16,000 evacuated Orange County residents to return home. Initially, 50,000 residents were evacuated from their homes last week.
A tank carrying 6,500 gallons of the highly toxic chemical methyl methacrylate (MMA) became unstable last week, causing the tank to heat up uncontrollably. For a few days, officials said the tank would either explode or spill out, and either outcome was inevitable.
Eventually, the tank cracked, allowing the pressure to release and eliminating the threat of a BLEVE, which stands for Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion.
Then, crews worked a risky mission to confirm that the pressure had been released and to remove weather insulation from the outside of the tank to help the water be more efficient at cooling the temperature down.
Still, a threat remained for a fire or a small explosion. Firefighters continued to try to get the tank to stabilize and were eventually able to stop dousing it with water. On Tuesday afternoon, crews were seen freely walking around the tank and climbing on top of it.
By Tuesday night, OCFA declared that there was no longer a risk to surrounding residents and all evacuation orders were lifted. No injuries were reported.
The investigation into what caused the material in the tank to overheat is ongoing. Residents have already filed a class action lawsuit against GKN Aerospace.
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President Trump has signed a federal emergency declaration for the Garden Grove district, according to Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen and Congressman Derek Tran.
Crisis at the Garden Grove chemical tank is not over, officials clarified Monday morning.
"Crisis is not averted," OCFA Interim Fire Chief TJ McGovern said, adding the most catastrophic explosion threat has been eliminated due to a crack in the tank relieving pressure.
McGovern said if an explosion or a leak were to occur, it would be significantly smaller than the initial worst-case scenario.
"We still have potential for an explosion that it's not as bad as a BLEVE, but it's still a threat," McGovern said. "There was still a threat out there, and we need the public to keep to those evacuation zones until we deem it safe for them to come back."
Evacuations remain in place.
The threat of a catastrophic explosion at the Garden Grove chemical tank "has been eliminated," officials announced Monday.
In a video posted to social media, the Orange County Fire Authority said the tank "has released its pressure." Officials added that the tank's temperature has stabilized and is reducing. It's currently at 93 degrees.
Although an explosion appears to have been averted, evacuation orders are still in effect. It's unclear when residents will be allowed to return home.
Efforts are underway to help those evacuees in Garden Grove cast their ballots in the upcoming California primary election, which is a little more than a week away.
Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen says the Registrar of Voters will be sending staff to emergency shelters within the next day or two to help evacuees cast their ballots.
"I know the election is around the corner and most of folks have left their ballot at home. Do not go home and get your ballot. We will be bringing the Registrar of Voters to the shelters to make sure that you can get access to your ballot," she said in a video posted on X.
The registrar's office says all voters, including those displaced by the evacuation, may visit any of the county's vote centers to cast their ballots.
Meanwhile, one of the centers that was supposed to open this weekend at the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center is closed until further notice because the site is being used as an evacuation center.
