Garden Grove Evacuates Blocks After 34,000-Gallon Tank Releases Chemical Vapor
Updated
Updated · OCRegister · May 21
Garden Grove Evacuates Blocks After 34,000-Gallon Tank Releases Chemical Vapor
8 articles · Updated · OCRegister · May 21
Evacuation orders covering several Garden Grove blocks were lifted around 8:40 p.m. Thursday after a methyl methacrylate vapor release triggered a hazmat response at an aerospace plastics plant.
A 34,000-gallon tank on Western Avenue heated up, activating a relief valve designed to vent vapors; firefighters used overhead sprinklers and unmanned hose lines to cool the tank.
No injuries were reported, but parts of Western and Lampson avenues stayed closed into the evening as industrial cleanup contractors worked the site.
The chemical is used to make acrylic plastics for the aerospace industry, underscoring the industrial risk behind the temporary neighborhood and business evacuations.
After the Garden Grove chemical leak, could toxic vapors now be trapped inside nearby homes?
A safety valve worked, so why did a California chemical leak force a second evacuation?
Could modern AI have predicted the plant's valve failure before the chemical leak occurred?