Industry was warned for years about chemical 'runaway' dangers. Then came near-catastrophe in O.C.
Key takeaways
- Such incidents have led to deaths globally, but some experts say the industry has struggled to improve safety.
- In Orange County, the crisis was sparked by thousands of gallons of a highly toxic chemical in a failing pressurized chemical tank that was heating up at a Garden Grove aerospace firm.
- The worst-case scenario was averted over the Memorial Day weekend.
Allan Chaidez and his father, Guillermo Chaidez, return home to Stanton on Monday after the chemical crisis at an aerospace company in Garden Grove forced them to evacuate. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) By Hannah Fry and Rong-Gong Lin II May 27, 2026 3 AM PT 9 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
The chemical industry has been well aware of the risks of the type of thermal runaway reaction that forced 50,000 people from their homes in Orange County last weekend, reviving years of warnings from researchers about the potential dangers.
Nearly 15% of incidents in the U.S. involving uncontrolled chemical reactions between 1980 to 2001 were thermal runaway incidents that involved rapid polymerization of a chemical, according to a study published in the journal ACS Omega, citing information from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.