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All evacuation orders lifted, no threat of explosion, fire or leak at Garden Grove chemical tank

ByBianca Buono, Niku Kazori , Mónica De Anda, Amy Powell, Tim Pulliam, and Liz Nagy KABC logo
Last updated: Wednesday, May 27, 2026 6:38PM GMT
All evacuation orders lifted in Garden Grove chemical tank crisis

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.

Este blog se ofrece en Español, aquí.


Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
May 25, 2026, 8:59 PM GMT

GKN Aerospace says it's working with officials to mitigate risk of leak

GKN Aerospace, the company that owns and operates the facility with toxic chemical tank in crisis, released a statement Monday saying it is working with officials to mitigate a risk of a leak.

On Sunday, a team from GKN worked with OCFA to removed external insulation from the tank in order to help cooldown the chemicals inside.

Read the full GKN statement below:

"During the evening of May 24, technical specialists working for the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove conducted a joint operation with Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) to assess the storage tank more closely. The team safely and successfully removed external insulation material from the tank in order to help advance efforts to cool its contents. This operation followed several days of careful monitoring and work to stabilize the tank, in conjunction with the dedicated team of experts on-site.

"We are continuing to work around the clock with the OCFA, the EPA and all relevant federal, state and local agencies to mitigate the ongoing risk of a leak. We remain extremely thankful for their dedication and hard work.

"We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing and our priority remains its safe resolution, so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible. Please continue to follow all instructions issued by local authorities and emergency personnel at this time."

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May 25, 2026, 6:15 PM GMT

Trump has signed federal emergency declaration, officials say

President Trump has signed a federal emergency declaration for the Garden Grove district, according to Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen and Congressman Derek Tran.

President Trump has signed a federal emergency declaration for the Garden Grove district, according to Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen and Congressman Derek Tran.
May 25, 2026, 5:27 PM GMT

'Crisis is not averted,' smaller explosion or leak still possible, officials say

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.

May 25, 2026, 3:20 PM GMT

No longer threat of explosion at chemical tank, officials say

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.

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