California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday to address a looming chemical disaster threat at an aerospace facility in Orange County.
The emergency proclamation directs the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and various state agencies to assist local responders.
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State-owned properties are being used to provide shelter for 40,000 residents under evacuation orders.
“The safety of Orange County residents is the top priority,” Newsom said.
“We are mobilizing every state resource available to support local responders and make sure the community has what they need to stay safe.”
Chemical Tank Poses Explosion Risk
The hazard involves a storage tank containing 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a highly flammable chemical used in manufacturing resins and plastics.
The tank began off-gassing on Thursday at a Garden Grove facility owned by GKN Aerospace.
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Local firefighters have consistently doused the storage tank with water to lower its temperature, but these containment efforts are reportedly failing.
Specialized emergency teams are working to manage the chemical risks while preparing structures to dam any potential spills.
“We’re bringing people in from all over the country, talking to people all over the place, trying to come up with additional options,” said Craig Covey, Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief.
“Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable to us.”
An emergency response team previously entered the facility on Friday night to add a neutralizing agent to a separate tank.
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Covey noted that the main tank's temperature had reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday, rising steadily by approximately 1 degree per hour.
