California chemical tank at risk of exploding is getting hotter, officials say

Officials in California on Saturday walked back a previous optimistic temperature reading at an overheated chemical storage tank, saying they are back on the offensive to try and stop it from exploding.

No injuries were reported after the pressurized tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors in Garden Grove, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Evacuation orders were issued for 40,000 people, and several shelters were opened by Friday night, including at three high schools.

Garden Grove is about 61 kilometres south of downtown Los Angeles, which is not under evacuation order. The city is known for its vibrant Vietnamese community, one of the largest of any U.S. city. Local Vietnamese television stations translated updates from officials and urged residents to take the situation seriously.

Orange County Fire Authority division chief Craig Covey said Friday afternoon that, after hours of emergency crews spraying water to cool it down, the tank and its temperature appeared stable. However, he announced Saturday that was no longer the case.

“Those temperatures we were doing was via drone, doing readings on the [exterior] … not covering the interior temperatures inside,” Covey said in a video update posted on social media.

To ascertain the true internal temperature, Covey said officials made the call late Friday “to go back offensive.”

He said crews originally responded in a defensive posture as a precaution, but now responders are taking part in more risky operations.

“We did put people in harm’s way last night,” Covey said, adding crews made their way to the tank and found the temperature gauge which showed that it rose to 90 F (32 C) on Friday night, up from 77 F (25) that morning.

Covey previously said the main concern is that the tank could fail and crack, releasing the chemical onto the ground, or it could explode.

The tank is located at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft.

The tank holds between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons (22,700 and 26,500 litres) of methyl methacrylate, used to make plastic parts.

If the chemical heats up, it can release a vapor that is harmful to people’s health. It can cause respiratory issues, itching and burning eyes, nausea and headaches, said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the Orange County health officer.

“Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable to us,” Covey said Saturday, adding officials are planning contingencies should the worst case scenario occur, such as building dykes and creating sandbag barriers.

“Our goal is … to not allow that to happen, not let it damage to our community, not let damage our environment.”