Summary<\/p>\n
Approximately 40,000 residents are under evacuation orders in Orange County, California, as authorities warn a tank filled with methyl methacrylate could explode.
\n Officials say the chemical is highly volatile, toxic and flammable, with exposure potentially causing respiratory issues.
\n Authorities spent two days trying to cool the overheating tank but said the manufacturers response team could not mitigate the crisis.<\/p>\n
\n AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.<\/p>\n
\n Approximately 40,000 residents in Orange County, California, are under evacuation orders as authorities are concerned a tank filled with a toxic chemical will either leak or explode.\n <\/p>\n
\n Authorities have spent the past two days trying to prevent the tank, which is full of the chemical methyl methacrylate, from exploding after it began to overheat. Evacuation orders were issued to those in the 9-square-mile area around the facility involved, impacting over 40,000 residents.\n <\/p>\n
\n The chemical, also known as MMA, is used to manufacture plastics and can potentially cause respiratory issues if humans are exposed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n The temperature of the tank is continuing to decrease, Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief and Unified Incident Commander Craig Covey said in an update<\/a> Friday evening.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s down to a temperature around 61 degrees, with 50 being its happy place,\u201d Covey said, adding that officials are working overnight to prevent the tank from exploding or leaking.\n <\/p>\n \n The tank cooling down is \u201cgiving us opportunity to reconsider engaging in close proximity to implement some of the concepts that were outside the box,\u201d Covey added.\n <\/p>\n \n On Friday, police made a reverse 911 call to tell people to evacuate and posted on social media about the evacuations, Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra said. About 15% of people \u2014 or about 6,000 residents \u2014 from the evacuation area had refused to leave, he said. Thirteen schools and two facilities within the Garden Grove Unified School District were also evacuated <\/a>Friday morning.\n <\/p>\n \n The industrial site where the tank is located is about 5 miles from Disneyland and about 4 miles from Knott\u2019s Berry Theme Park.\n <\/p>\n \n MMA is heavier than air, Covey said at a news conference Friday, and the air should be safe outside of the evacuation zone, Orange County Health Officer Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong said in a later update.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThis is going to happen unless some brilliant guy behind me here figures out how we can mitigate this incident,\u201d Covey said as he emphasized the need to evacuate. \u201cThis thing is going to fail.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Exposure to MMA can cause major respiratory issues, including \u201csignificant irritation\u201d to the lungs and nasal passages, as well as dizziness and nausea, Chinsio-Kwong said. There are not many documented cases of human interaction, so it is unpredictable what the effects of a potential explosion could be on the population, she said, encouraging people to stay out of the evacuation zone for that reason.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe\u2019re going into unique times and we have limited information,\u201d Chinsio-Kwong said.\n <\/p>\n \n The chemical, which is not currently detected in the air, can produce a fruit-like scent, although smelling it doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ve gotten enough exposure to have symptoms, she said in another update.\n <\/p>\n \n Authorities initially responded to a vapor release from the tank containing MMA at the Garden Grove facility on Thursday, Orange County Fire Authority Interim Fire Chief TJ McGovern said Friday. One of the three tanks at the site had increased in temperature and activated a relief valve and overhead sprinklers to try to cool the tank, he said. The other two tanks have either been neutralized with a chemical agent or aren\u2019t at risk.\n <\/p>\n \n Evacuation orders were issued for the area Thursday, but they were lifted that night after the vapor conditions improved, McGovern said. As crews tried to remove and contain the product from the one tank, they realized the tank had a damaged valve so the chemical couldn\u2019t be removed, which caused local authorities to reinstate the evacuation orders, he said.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI was sleeping in my house until this morning when they told us we had to leave,\u201d resident Diane Chavira told CNN affiliate KCAL\/KCBS<\/a>, forcing her to collect her four dogs and get out of the area.\n <\/p>\n