Evacuation zone reduced with threat of massive explosion eliminated at Orange County chemical tank

Eyewitness News caught up with one family that was forced to evacuate for the holiday weekend, just days after purchasing their new home.

Thousands of residents have been allowed to return to their homes following a toxic tank crisis in Garden Grove, but about 16,000 people remain under evacuation orders as officials continue to address remaining hazards.

Overnight, more than 1,000 residents stayed at Red Cross shelters across the county.

Giovana Camacho and her sons were among those returning home, unloading belongings -- including family photo albums -- after spending four days away from the house they just moved into.

"I'm so emotionally happy to go back home," Camacho said.

Her family evacuated from their neighborhood near Killarney and Lamplighter, where authorities have determined conditions are now safe. The initial evacuation forced them to spend Memorial Day weekend with friends, just days after purchasing their home.

"I was so scared, so scared, and devastated, like, I didn't know what to do," Camacho said.

"I cried a lot, yeah... I was telling my mom, 'Let's go. Let's go,'" Camacho's son, Desmond Williams, said.

Other residents also began returning, including Meg Holst and her family, who spent the holiday weekend in a hotel.

"Everything has been very stressful. It was an unplanned holiday trip," Holst said.

Despite the progress, some neighbors expressed lingering concerns about the incident at GK Aerospace and the potential for future dangers.

"It was an eye-opener for us to realize that we have to be better prepared for the next one," said Joanne Lui.

Francis Lui questioned safety measures at the facility.

"That's what frustrates me. They knew they had chemicals like that. Why don't they have the safety measures in place?" he said.

Officials said work is ongoing to eliminate any remaining threats before lifting the remaining evacuation orders.

Millions of gallons of water have been used on the tank at the center of the chemical crisis in Garden Grove, officials said Monday.

Millions of gallons of water have been used on the tank at the center of the chemical crisis in Garden Grove, officials said Monday.

Crews have been using high-capacity water flow from multiple systems operating at full intensity over several days in an attempt to cool the temperature of the tank down.

"So, you got a deluge system with a full throttle on it, and then we have that ground monitor on the ground that's flowing 1,250 gallons a minute, so imagine five days of that," Orange County Fire Authority Chief Craig Covey said. "We're talking millions and millions of gallons."

Seven arrests have been made in Garden Grove during an ongoing chemical tank crisis that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents.

Seven arrests have been made in Garden Grove during an ongoing chemical tank crisis that has forced the evacuation of thousands of residents, the police chief revealed at a press conference on Monday.

According to Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra, seven total arrests have been made since the incident began -- one person for looting and six for prowling.

"Unfortunately, during incidents like this, we do have bad actors," El-Farra said. "Our partners over at the D.A.'s office are going to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law."

El-Farra said residents can expect to see an elevated police presence throughout the community, including in areas recently removed from the evacuation zone.

Officials provided a positive update on Monday evening, saying the worst-case scenario at an unstable chemical tank has been avoided.

Officials provided a positive update at a press conference on Monday evening, saying the worst-case scenario at an unstable chemical tank in Garden Grove has been avoided. With the announcement came a reduction in the evacuation zone for Orange County residents.

"The most catastrophic and worst-case scenario was mitigated and resolved," Orange County Fire Authority Interim Chief TJ McGovern said. "That was the case of a potential BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion). It's not over yet, and I want to re-emphasize that. It's not over yet. We still have work to do."

McGovern said the reduced evacuation zone is still in place because crews are still working to mitigate the chance of a small explosion, fire, or possible spill. Approximately 16,000 residents are still impacted.

OCFA Chief Craig Covey provided new details about what firefighters have been doing to improve the situation at GKN Aerospace. He said firefighters were specifically approaching the tank and checking the trends overnight because the temperature is the most unstable during the daylight hours.

He said when the tank cracked, it was just enough to release the pressure without causing a leak or an explosion. Now, the internal temperature of the tank is finally reducing as the tank stabilizes. The tank previously reached over 100 degrees, hotter than their gauges could measure.

Covey said overnight, firefighters took off weather protection and insulation on the outside of the tank to help the water be more efficient at cooling the temperature down.

He stressed that there have been no injuries to civilians or firefighters throughout the ongoing incident.

The tank initially held approximately 6,500 gallons of a toxic chemical, methyl methacrylate, or MMA. Now, officials believe a lot of the chemical has cured.

"We don't think there's that much liquid potential left in it. We don't know exactly how much... we know some of that is gelled up or hardened like it's supposed to do," Covey said.

Authorities explained that the reduced evacuation zone was established with residents' safety as the top priority. Covey said the county's team of experts is focusing on a five-day risk assessment, keeping the weather forecast in mind. The new, reduced evacuation zone also takes into consideration the risk of a potential plume or fire at the tank.

In order to further reduce the evacuation zone or eliminate it completely, Covey said they need to continue to observe a trend of decreasing temperatures inside the tank. That's what will decrease the risk of fire.

He said there is no timeline for when the evacuation zone will be reduced again, but said it will not happen on Monday.

"The city remains committed to understanding what happened, supporting those impacted, and working with the appropriate agencies to make sure this incident is fully reviewed," Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein said at Monday's press conference.

Klopfenstein noted that Tuesday's regularly scheduled city council meeting has been canceled, and instead, the city will hold a special meeting at the Community Meeting Center at 5:30 p.m., focused on the incident, the city's response and the latest information available. Residents are encouraged to attend and ask questions.