Daijiworld Media Network - California

California, May 23: Around 40,000 people in Southern California were placed under evacuation orders after a hazardous chemical leak at an aerospace manufacturing facility in Orange County raised fears of a possible explosion or toxic spill.

The incident occurred at a facility in Garden Grove operated by GKN Aerospace, where an industrial storage tank containing methyl methacrylate began overheating and releasing toxic vapours on Thursday afternoon.

Authorities said the chemical, widely used in the production of acrylic plastics, became unstable after a cooling system failure in one of three large storage tanks at the site. The affected tank is believed to hold around 34,000 gallons of the volatile substance.

Emergency officials warned that the situation posed two major risks: a potential rupture that could release 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of flammable material into surrounding areas, or a thermal runaway reaction that could trigger an explosion affecting nearby storage tanks.

The Orange County Fire Authority initially believed the situation had stabilised overnight. However, worsening conditions on Friday forced authorities to expand evacuation zones across multiple communities, including parts of Garden Grove, and led to school closures and large-scale emergency responses.

Officials said no toxic plume had been detected at the time of the latest briefing, but warned that the situation remained highly unstable. Fire Chief Craig Covey described the risk as serious, stating that the tank could fail unpredictably and authorities could not determine when a rupture might occur.

Residents were urged to evacuate as a precaution while emergency teams monitored the tank and worked to prevent escalation.

Despite the scale of the incident, no injuries or fatalities have been reported so far. Emergency operations are ongoing as officials continue efforts to stabilise the chemical storage system and reduce the risk of explosion or contamination.