{"id":2634,"date":"2026-05-23T01:47:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T01:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/23\/california-40000-people-ordered-to-evacuate-over-chemical-leak-fears\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T01:47:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T01:47:58","slug":"california-40000-people-ordered-to-evacuate-over-chemical-leak-fears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2634","title":{"rendered":"California: 40,000 people ordered to evacuate over chemical leak fears"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"d2729198-5813-4f25-941a-4a951f2581b7\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Water sprayed on chemical tank\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c04e56794abe6c55ef54d366d91a7087e7be753f\/27_0_3161_2530\/master\/3161.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.1765264156912\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Water is sprayed on the tank that overheated in Garden Grove in Orange county on Friday.<\/span> Photograph: Jeff Gritchen\/The Orange County Register\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"d2729198-5813-4f25-941a-4a951f2581b7\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Water is sprayed on the tank that overheated in Garden Grove in Orange county on Friday.<\/span> Photograph: Jeff Gritchen\/The Orange County Register\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">California: 40,000 people ordered to evacuate over chemical leak fears<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Authorities in Orange county say tank holding methyl methacrylate \u2018actively in crisis\u2019 and urge residents to leave<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Authorities in Orange county, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/california\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">California<\/a> have ordered the evacuation of 40,000 people over concerns about a chemical leak that threatened to spill or explode.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The problem arose on Thursday at a facility owned by GKN Aerospace in the town of Garden Grove, where a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2016-09\/documents\/methyl-methacrylate.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">storage tank holding methyl methacrylate<\/a> began off-gassing and threatened to fail. The chemical, which is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/22\/us\/methyl-methacrylate-garden-grove-chemical-leak.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">highly flammable<\/a>, is used to fabricate resins and plastics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Local authorities originally responded to the incident with a hazmat team on Thursday, ordering local residents to evacuate. They lifted the order later that day, but the problem worsened due to \u201cdamage to a valve on the tank\u201d that \u201ccreated additional operational challenges, preventing complete mitigation\u201d, <a href=\"https:\/\/ggcity.org\/emergency\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Garden Grove authorities wrote<\/a> in an evacuation order.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">By Friday, new evacuation orders had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/live\/garden-grove-gas-leak-live-evacuation-maps-closures-and-updates\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">expanded to residents in six cities<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe have a tank that is actively in crisis,\u201d Orange county fire authority division chief Craig Covey <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/OCFireAuthority\/status\/2057895548322296205\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told reporters at a news conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThere are literally two options left remaining. One: the tank fails and spills a total of about 6-7,000 gallons of very bad chemicals into the parking lot in that area. Or two: the tank goes into a thermal runaway and blows up, affecting the tanks that are around them that have fuel or the chemicals in them as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Garden Grove police chief Amir El-Farra said some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/2026\/05\/22\/what-is-methyl-methacrylate-the-substance-at-the-center-of-a-garden-grove-hazmat-crisis\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">15% of those facing evacuation<\/a> orders were refusing to leave, according to the Orange County Register. The city has established at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-05-22\/orange-county-chemical-leak-evacuations-closures-shelters\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">least two shelters<\/a> for evacuees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Covey, the county fire division chief, urged residents to take the order seriously.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe are setting up these evacuations in preparation for these two options: it fails or it blows up,\u201d Covey said. \u201cPlease follow our requests and orders for evacuations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It\u2019s possible, however, that the tank could crack rather than explode. Emergency responders have laid out sand barriers to contain the chemicals in that event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIn a weird world, that\u2019s the best-case scenario, believe it or not,\u201d Covey said, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2026\/05\/22\/us\/chemical-leak-evacuation-orange-county\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">according to the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">GKN Aerospace is a division of a British corporation that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/22\/us\/what-is-gkn-aerospace.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">produces airplane engines<\/a> and other aircraft parts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/california\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">California<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/environment\/pollution\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Pollution<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/west-coast\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">West Coast<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=California:%2040,000%20people%20ordered%20to%20evacuate%20over%20chemical%20leak%20fears&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/22\/california-orange-county-chemical-tank?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F22%2Fcalifornia-orange-county-chemical-tank&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/22\/california-orange-county-chemical-tank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Water is sprayed on the tank that overheated in Garden Grove in Orange county on Friday. Photograph: Jeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}