California Chemical Leak: Nearly 40,000 Residents Ordered to Evacuate After Toxic Tank Leak in US' Orange County (Watch Video)
Authorities in Southern California ordered the evacuation of nearly 40,000 residents after a hazardous chemical leak at an aerospace facility in Orange County raised fears of a possible explosion or toxic spill. The emergency unfolded in the city of Garden Grove, where officials said a storage tank containing methyl methacrylate began overheating and venting hazardous vapours.
California, May 23: About 40,000 residents in Southern California were under evacuation orders after a leaking tank of volatile industrial chemical at an aerospace manufacturing facility sparked fears of a major explosion or toxic spill, according to local authorities. Authorities on Friday (local time) said the leak began Thursday afternoon at a facility in Garden Grove, a city in Orange County, where an overheated storage tank holding methyl methacrylate -- a flammable chemical used in the production of acrylic plastics -- began venting hazardous vapours.
Officials said the facility operated by GKN Aerospace contains three storage tanks in total, with one suffering a cooling system failure, reports Xinhua news agency. Later in the day, the OC Fire Authority shared a critical video update on X about the unstable 34,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate at GKN Aerospace. Raging Wildfires Churn Through Dry Brush in Southern California.
Chemical Leak at California
Garden Grove, California: Nearly 40,000 residents were placed under evacuation orders and schools were shuttered after a storage tank at an aerospace plastics facility began leaking a hazardous chemical, raising fears of a potential rupture or explosion. pic.twitter.com/0QBD3KNR6q
— NextMinute News (@nextminutenews7) May 23, 2026
Officials described two potential failure modes: a spill of 6,000-7,000 gallons of the flammable, toxic chemical into the area or thermal runaway leading to an explosion that could affect nearby tanks, with no active plume reported at briefing time.
Emergency crews initially believed they had stabilised the situation overnight, but worsening conditions on Friday prompted authorities to expand evacuation orders, forcing school closures and emergency responses across multiple cities. California Wildfire: More Than 17,000 People Under Evacuation Orders As US Wildfire Threatens Homes (Watch Videos).
Residents in Garden Grove and nearby communities were affected by the evacuation directives as emergency crews warned the compromised tank could either rupture and spill thousands of gallons of chemicals or explode.
"This thing is going to fail, and we don't know when," Orange County Fire Authority Chief Craig Covey said during a public briefing. No injuries or deaths have been reported.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2026 10:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
