Temperature rising in chemical tank at risk of exploding in California

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - May 24, 2026 10:05 am IST - Los Angeles An aerial view of water being sprayed onto an overheated 34,000-gallon tank at GKN Aerospace on May 23, 2026 in Garden Grove, California. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP Firefighters warned on Saturday (May 23, 2026) that a tank of toxic chemicals in California is heating up, adding to fears of a catastrophic explosion that has already forced tens of thousands of Californians to evacuate. About 40,000 residents were ordered to leave their homes in the Garden Grove area of Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles, on Friday (May 23, 2026) after the tank began to leak, sending fumes over a heavily populated area. The tank contains 7,000 gallons (26,000 liters) of methyl methacrylate, a volatile and flammable liquid used to make plastics, with firefighters warning the situation was serious. Orange County Fire Authority Incident Commander Craig Covey said Saturday morning that an emergency team had ventured into the area overnight, seeking to neutralize the “explosive potential” posed by an additional 15,000-gallon tank nearby should the 7,000-gallon tank blow up, and were then able to view the temperature gauge on the 7,000-gallon tank. “Unfortunately, I do have to report that the temperature was 90 degrees (Fahrenheit; 32C). Yesterday morning, it was 77 degrees when we backed out. It’s been averaging about a degree an hour increasing, so that’s the bad news,” he said in a short video posted on social media. He said firefighters are seeking ways to cool the tank. Aerial footage filmed by local TV stations on Friday showed jets of water being sprayed at the tank, which has a capacity of 34,000 gallons. “The primary focus is the tanks,” Covey said during a Saturday evening press conference. “We’re continuing to keep them cool and monitor them.” A blast zone map released by the Orange County Fire Authority showed areas within about 1,100 feet (335 meters) of the tank would sustain severe damage in the event of an explosion, and about the same distance from that radius could experience light damage. On Friday, authorities described the tank exploding or rupturing as the only possible outcomes, but on Saturday Covey said: “Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable.” “Our goal is to find something and not allow that to happen, not to let it damage our community, not let it damage our environment.” He added that residents had followed directions to evacuate and the only people at risk now were the emergency responders. Orange County Health Officer Regina Chinsio-Kwong said on Friday (May 22, 2026) the large exclusion zone around the tank was a necessary precaution. “If it does explode and there is a vapor, you are all safe as long as you are out of the zone that was determined to be an evacuation zone,” she said. No injuries had been reported by Friday (May 22, 2026) evening, and there was no immediate indication as to what caused the leak, which was initially reported on Thursday (May 21, 2026). Responders were working to put containment barriers in place to prevent any spilled material from reaching storm drains or river channels that funnel into the ocean. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says methyl methacrylate is irritating to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes in humans. “Respiratory effects have been reported in humans following acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) inhalation exposures,” a fact sheet on the agency’s website says. “Neurological symptoms have also been reported in humans following acute exposure.” Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their ol

Temperature rising in chemical tank at risk of exploding in California

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Temperature rising in chemical tank at risk of exploding in California

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