NEW YORK – Experts trying to prevent a tank of hazardous chemicals from exploding in Southern California found a “potential crack” in the container that might be reducing the pressure, a fire official said on May 24.
Since May 22, officials have warned that the tank, which contains methyl methacrylate, a flammable chemical used in plastics and manufacturing, could rupture and spill up to 26,500 litres of toxic material or explode and endanger other tanks on the GKN Aerospace site.
Evacuation orders were issued on May 22 for an area in Garden Grove, a suburb roughly 48km south of Los Angeles. Tens of thousands of people are covered by the evacuation orders.
TJ McGovern, interim fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said in a video message posted on social media that a team of specialists on May 23 found “a potential crack in the tank, which could potentially be relieving some of the pressure in there”.
Discovering the potential crack was “positive intel”, he said.
Authorities are still trying to determine whether the possible crack has relieved pressure in the tank, a spokesperson for the Orange County Fire Authority told Reuters. Lowering the pressure could help avert an explosion, he said.
Although officials for now are focused on measuring pressure, the spokesperson said, the crack eventually could allow authorities to gradually drain the chemicals.
On May 24, California Governor Gavin Newsom said he had requested that President Donald Trump issue a federal emergency declaration to support response operations.
Mr Newsom declared a state of emergency for Orange County on May 23.
At one point that day, the tank’s internal temperature reached as high as 32 deg C, the fire authority said.
But EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told CNN’s State Of The Union programme on May 24 that local officials were working to stabilise the tank by keeping its temperature under 29 deg C.
“I’m being told this morning that the most likely scenario is one of a low-volume release, where the local authorities are going to be able to monitor, neutralise and contain the threat,” Mr Zeldin told CNN.
Crews were preparing for a possible spill by looking for ways to dike, dam and divert the liquid into a holding area at the commercial site, rather than allow it to reach storm drains, river channels or the ocean, the fire authority has previously said.
Health officials have said they were concerned that prolonged exposure to vapour from the chemical could cause severe respiratory problems. Air monitors deployed in Garden Grove were not detecting any chemicals or pollutants on May 24, the EPA said.
Sensors located around the tank itself have not picked up any chemical leaks in the air, the fire authority spokesperson said.
The Orange County Fire Authority and the Garden Grove mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment on May 24.
The incident began on May 21 at the GKN Aerospace facility, which specialises in the manufacturing and testing of windows and canopies for commercial and military aircraft, according to its website. REUTERS
