May 26, 2026, 04:50 AM
[align=start]The liquid in the 7,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate at the Garden Grove facility started to overheat Thursday following an issue with a valve in its refrigeration system, ushering in a tense several days as first responders and experts worked to avoid an explosion.[/align]
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[align=start]On Monday, officials said the biggest risk, of a potential “boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion,” or a BLEVE, had been averted.[/align]
[align=start]“The most catastrophic and worst-case scenario was mitigated and resolved,” interim Orange County Fire Chief TJ McGovern said at a news conference Monday evening.[/align]
[align=start]“It’s not over yet, and I want to re-emphasize that: It’s not over yet. We still have work to do,” he said.[/align]
[align=start]McGovern said firefighters “still have to mitigate a fire and very small explosion concern, and also a spill potential.”[/align]
[align=start]Evacuation orders in the city in northern Orange County, about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 4 miles from Disneyland in Anaheim, were reduced from around 60,000 to 16,000 Monday.[/align]
[align=start]The incident began Thursday at a GKN Aerospace facility, where Orange County fire officials reported a “vapor release.” Further investigation found that temperatures in a tank of methyl methacrylate, a toxic chemical used to manufacture resins and plastics, were rising, officials said.[/align]
[align=start]The tank overheated after a valve that is part of a recirculating refrigeration system, designed to keep the tank at 50 degrees, malfunctioned, Orange County Fire Division Chief Craig Covey said Monday.[/align]
[align=start]“One of the valves in that system froze up, so it was no longer being circulated,” he said. “And due to that failure, the tank went into the heating-up process because it wasn’t continuing to be chilled.”[/align]
[align=start]A BLEVE and a spill at the property could have been one of the worst chemical events in state history, Covey has said.[/align]
[align=start]A temperature gauge read 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest the gauge would go, at one point. By Monday it had dropped to 93 degrees, Covey said.[/align]
[align=start]Millions of gallons of water have been poured onto the tank to lower the temperature inside, Covey said, and deluge sprinklers also mitigate the risk of a fire.[/align]
[align=start] [/align]
[align=start] [/align]
[align=start]On Monday, officials said the biggest risk, of a potential “boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion,” or a BLEVE, had been averted.[/align]
[align=start]“The most catastrophic and worst-case scenario was mitigated and resolved,” interim Orange County Fire Chief TJ McGovern said at a news conference Monday evening.[/align]
[align=start]“It’s not over yet, and I want to re-emphasize that: It’s not over yet. We still have work to do,” he said.[/align]
[align=start]McGovern said firefighters “still have to mitigate a fire and very small explosion concern, and also a spill potential.”[/align]
[align=start]Evacuation orders in the city in northern Orange County, about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 4 miles from Disneyland in Anaheim, were reduced from around 60,000 to 16,000 Monday.[/align]
[align=start]The incident began Thursday at a GKN Aerospace facility, where Orange County fire officials reported a “vapor release.” Further investigation found that temperatures in a tank of methyl methacrylate, a toxic chemical used to manufacture resins and plastics, were rising, officials said.[/align]
[align=start]The tank overheated after a valve that is part of a recirculating refrigeration system, designed to keep the tank at 50 degrees, malfunctioned, Orange County Fire Division Chief Craig Covey said Monday.[/align]
[align=start]“One of the valves in that system froze up, so it was no longer being circulated,” he said. “And due to that failure, the tank went into the heating-up process because it wasn’t continuing to be chilled.”[/align]
[align=start]A BLEVE and a spill at the property could have been one of the worst chemical events in state history, Covey has said.[/align]
[align=start]A temperature gauge read 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest the gauge would go, at one point. By Monday it had dropped to 93 degrees, Covey said.[/align]
[align=start]Millions of gallons of water have been poured onto the tank to lower the temperature inside, Covey said, and deluge sprinklers also mitigate the risk of a fire.[/align]
[align=start] [/align]