Thousands of residents across six Orange County cities evacuated their homes on Friday, May 23, 2026, due to the risk of an unprecedented chemical tank explosion at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove.
The evacuation order expanded to include tens of thousands of people in Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park, and Westminster as emergency crews worked to manage the failing tank.
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Evacuees sought refuge at local shelters, including the Cypress Community Center and the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center, while officials withheld information regarding the duration of the orders.
Jude Thomas, a nearby resident living less than a mile from the aerospace plant, was among the first individuals displaced when firefighters initially responded to the facility on Thursday afternoon.
"Everything will change, for sure, once this is done," said Thomas. "We will think about moving out from there."
Thomas noted that his family briefly returned home Thursday evening before receiving a second order to leave early Friday morning, prompting safety concerns about their proximity to the facility.
Another displaced resident, Miguel Loo, reported experiencing headaches and dizziness after returning to his home located a few miles away from the chemical plant early Friday morning.
"We came back, and half the cars are gone and the other half are leaving all at once," said Loo.
"So we're trying to evacuate, and I'm getting dizzy with a headache in the middle of it."
Loo stated that his family gathered essential medications, documents, and pet supplies but expressed concern over potential burglaries and the high cost of holiday weekend hotel rooms.
"Right now it's like $200 to $400 for a place that'd normally be 60 or 70 bucks," Loo said.
"Pretty much everything I make this weekend is going to go to that."
By Friday evening, approximately 250 people had checked into the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center, where changing conditions complicated the dissemination of updates to the public.
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"A lot of them are looking for information," said John Montanchez, Garden Grove Community Services Director.
"Unfortunately, right now the information is changing hour by hour, so it's kind of hard to keep up.
We've had the news on the entire time for them… Everyone seems to be in really good spirits.
They understand, they're just kind of sitting around waiting and wondering what's the next step."
Leticia Rinker, a retired automotive industry worker from Stanton, noticed a persistent gas smell and suffered a headache starting Thursday before being told to evacuate on Friday morning.
"Now I know why I smelled it and why I got the headache," said Rinker.
Rinker spent the day in her vehicle at the shelter with her two pugs and her daughter's two cats after a neighbor alerted her to leave.
"Everybody's very relaxed, just chilling, sitting down," Rinker said. "A lot of people have their dogs.
It's OK, you know? It's not a chaos thing."
Rinker remained at the site on Friday night, unsure of when she would be permitted to return home.
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"I'm just hanging out in my car," Rinker said. "I see no sense in going anywhere and wasting my gas, as high as it is."
