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

Garden Grove Unified announced all schools in the district will reopen Wednesday. The Orange County Fire Authority said Tuesday evening that all evacuation orders stemming from the chemical tank crisis have been lifted and there is no risk to the public.

"We understand this news came late in the evening and returning home after an evacuation may take time. Please know that students will not be penalized if they are unable to attend school (Wednesday) as families continue to recover and make necessary arrangements," the school district said.

All evacuation orders prompted by the chemical tank crisis in Garden Grove have been lifted and authorities have deemed there is no risk to the public.

There was a constant flow of residents returning to their homes Tuesday evening.

Garden Grove residents began returning to their homes after all evacuation orders were lifted.

For Kimberly Hansen, the relief is overwhelming.

"I was so happy. It was traumatic. I was in a fog for days," an emotional Hansen told Eyewitness News as she held her pet turtle, Myrtle.

"I was scared to death... I just never thought that would happen," she added.

Angry and frustrated residents demanded answers and action from the City Council during a special meeting.

"A military plant has no place across the street from an elementary school, residential neighborhoods or anywhere for that matter," one speaker said.

From the threat of a catastrophic chemical explosion to the handling of the massive evacuation, many say lessons should be learned.

"Cots in these shelters were at a maximum of 200 when there were 50,000 people at most displaced," another speaker said.

In the middle of the meeting, police announced that the evacuation order was listed.

With the danger lifted and residents back home, Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein is promising GKN will be held accountable.

"Our community deserves to know what happened, why it happened and whether laws or regulations were violated, and what steps we must take to prevent something like this from ever happening again," Klopfenstein told attendees.

All evacuation orders are being lifted for residents impacted by the chemical tank crisis in Garden Grove, authorities say. OCFA says there is no more threat of a chemical leak, explosion or fire.

OCFA shared a map showing a green shaded area that represents the reopened evacuation zone.

The map also shows a red line that represents a road closure of Western between Chapman and Garden Gove Boulevard. A red circle on the map is an exclusion zone to allow hazardous materials teams to continue monitoring the tanks out of an abundance of caution, OCFA says.

A community meeting focusing on evacuees and resources is underway at Cal State Fullerton.

About 16,000 people remain under evacuation orders due to the chemical tank crisis in Garden Grove. Many evacuees were allowed to return home on Memorial Day after officials said the risk of a catastrophic explosion was averted. However, there is still a chance of a significantly smaller explosion or spill.

A community meeting focusing on evacuees and resources was held at Cal State Fullerton.

The community meeting runs until about 5:30 p.m. Some of those expected to be available to the public include consumer protection experts. Interim OCFA Fire Chief TJ McGovern was also expected to be there.

At 6 p.m., many will be heading to the Garden Grove City Council meeting where impacted community members are expected to call on the City Council to take action, including shutting down the facility.

Rep. Derek Tran, along with Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla called on President Donald Trump to declare a federal state of emergency, which the president did. Part of that means there is direct federal assistance for Orange County, including for cleanup.

Schiff says he has spoken with the EPA about what it will take to perform cleanup. He also responded to questions about possible criminal charges as a result of the leak.

"There is an investigation going on. I wouldn't be surprised to see an effort to recoup some of the expenses of the cleanup and the evacuation made after the investigation is done," Schiff said.

The Orange County district attorney has launched a criminal investigation into the incident.