Evacuation orders due to an emergency involving a toxic chemical tank at an aerospace faciilty left parts of Garden Grove empty during Memorial Day weekend.

Evacuations were ordered late last week when the storage tank at GKN Aerospace began heating up. After a pressure valve on the tank failed to work properly, authorities warned of a possible chemical spill or explosion.

Evacuation shelters soon filled up as resident sought safety and firefighters worked to resolve the situation and avoid a potentially damagaing explosion that could release a chemical plume.

Below, images from the Orange County community.

13 photos

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Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center employees feed the evacuees a Spaghetti dinner as families await the results of the Chemical Leak in Garden Grove, California in Garden Grove, California, United States on May 22, 2026. (Photo by Jon Putman/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Garden Grove Sports & Recreation Center employees feed the evacuees a Spaghetti dinner as families await the results of the Chemical Leak in Garden Grove, California in Garden Grove, California, United States on May 22, 2026. (Photo by Jon Putman/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Sergio Amaya, left, Sergio Junior Amaya, 16, 2nd L, Hector Gil Amaya, 22, 2nd R, and Martin Paredes, right, chat after sleeping in their cars overnight outside Freedom Hall shelter on Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Garden Grove. (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Sergio Amaya, left, Sergio Junior Amaya, 16, 2nd L, Hector Gil Amaya, 22, 2nd R, and Martin Paredes, right, chat after sleeping in their cars overnight outside Freedom Hall shelter on Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Garden Grove. (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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The Red Cross emergency shelter at Freedom Hall in Fountain Valley was still full of evacuees from the GKN Aerospace chemical incident in Garden Grove, Calif., May 23, 2026.

The Red Cross emergency shelter at Freedom Hall in Fountain Valley was still full of evacuees from the GKN Aerospace chemical incident in Garden Grove, Calif., May 23, 2026.

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An aerial view of an evacuated residential area after a leak an overheated 34,000-gallon tank at GKN Aerospace on May 23, 2026 in Garden Grove, California. A malfunctioning tank at an aerospace plant has the potential of a chemical leak or explosion. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

An aerial view of an evacuated residential area after a leak an overheated 34,000-gallon tank at GKN Aerospace on May 23, 2026 in Garden Grove, California. A malfunctioning tank at an aerospace plant has the potential of a chemical leak or explosion. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

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An aerial of water being sprayed on large storage tanks at the GKN Aerospace facility on Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Garden Grove, CA. 44,000 people remain evacuated after a 34,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate (MMA) leaked at a garden Grove aerospace plastics facility, sending potentially toxic vapors into the air on Thursday. (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

An aerial of water being sprayed on large storage tanks at the GKN Aerospace facility on Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Garden Grove, CA. 44,000 people remain evacuated after a 34,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate (MMA) leaked at a garden Grove aerospace plastics facility, sending potentially toxic vapors into the air on Thursday. (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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An aerial view of traffic cones on closed streets while water is sprayed onto an overheated 34,000-gallon tank at GKN Aerospace on May 23, 2026 in Garden Grove, California. A malfunctioning tank at an aerospace plant has the potential of a chemical leak or explosion. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

An aerial view of traffic cones on closed streets while water is sprayed onto an overheated 34,000-gallon tank at GKN Aerospace on May 23, 2026 in Garden Grove, California. A malfunctioning tank at an aerospace plant has the potential of a chemical leak or explosion. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

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During rush hour inside the evacuation zone at West Chapman Avenue and Nearing Drive there was very little traffic due to the evacuation orders of the surrounding neighborhoods near the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, Calif., May 23, 2026.

Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

During rush hour inside the evacuation zone at West Chapman Avenue and Nearing Drive there was very little traffic due to the evacuation orders of the surrounding neighborhoods near the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, Calif., May 23, 2026.

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People’s belongings are spread out on cots in the Freedom Hall, after taking refuge due to the chemical leak at GKN Aerospace Transparency building, on Saturday, May 23, 2026 in Fountain Valley. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

People’s belongings are spread out on cots in the Freedom Hall, after taking refuge due to the chemical leak at GKN Aerospace Transparency building, on Saturday, May 23, 2026 in Fountain Valley. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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Evacuees from an aerospace chemical plant tank leak move to another shelter after the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center closed for the night in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026.

AP Photo/Ethan Swope

Evacuees from an aerospace chemical plant tank leak move to another shelter after the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center closed for the night in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026.

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Water is spayed on a overheating chemcail tank in Garden Grove.

Water is spayed on a overheating chemcail tank in Garden Grove.

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Red Cross workers and other emergency personnel serve evacuees as they look for food or a place to stay outside Freedom Hall in Fountain Valley while awaiting clearance to return to the homes in Garden Grove and nearby communities in California, May 23, 2026.

ay Calderon/The Desert Sun-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Red Cross workers and other emergency personnel serve evacuees as they look for food or a place to stay outside Freedom Hall in Fountain Valley while awaiting clearance to return to the homes in Garden Grove and nearby communities in California, May 23, 2026.

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The Red Cross emergency shelter at Freedom Hall in Fountain Valley was still full of evacuees from the GKN Aerospace chemical incident in Garden Grove, Calif., May 23, 2026.

Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Red Cross emergency shelter at Freedom Hall in Fountain Valley was still full of evacuees from the GKN Aerospace chemical incident in Garden Grove, Calif., May 23, 2026.

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An ambulance bypasses a police blockage on West Chapman Avenue and Dale St. during a mandatory evacuation of the surrounding neighborhoods near the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, Calif., May 23, 2026.

Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

An ambulance bypasses a police blockage on West Chapman Avenue and Dale St. during a mandatory evacuation of the surrounding neighborhoods near the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, Calif., May 23, 2026.