Californian authorities have scaled back the evacuation zone for the Garden Grove chemical tank emergency in Orange County after determining the risk of a “catastrophic” explosion had passed, though a significant blast or fire is still possible.
It shrinks the number of evacuation orders in place from more than 40,000 to about 16,000, as of 6 p.m. local time on Monday, after authorities said the biggest risk, a potential “boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion,” or a BLEVE, had been averted.
Orange County’s interim fire chief, TJ McGovern, had earlier called a BLEVE, “the worst-case catastrophic event.”
Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) released a map showing the new zone, writing on X: “We ask that you continue listening to law enforcement and do NOT enter the newly evacuated area.”
Emergency crews have been working to cool and stabilize a chemical tank holding thousands of gallons of methyl methacrylate, a highly flammable substance commonly used in plastics and aerospace production.
The tank’s internal temperature had risen to at least 100 degrees—the maximum reading on the thermometer—heightening concerns about a potential “thermal runaway” reaction that could lead to an explosion.
The OCFA said on Sunday that the tank was beginning to cool, eliminating the threat of a catastrophic explosion, calling it “incredibly positive news. But there is still a chance of a smaller blast or a fire, OCFA division chief Craig Covey said during a news conference.
This is a developing story – more to follow.
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