The evacuation order for residents affected by the Garden Grove chemical incident has been lifted for all residents, according to the Garden Grove Police Department.
Garden Grove Police Department Chief Amir El-Farra made the announcement Tuesday in a community meeting. The evacuation order was reduced on Monday for thousands of residents, leaving about 16,000 residents still within the order. Those individuals are now cleared to return to their homes.
The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) said on Tuesday that county health officials, fire crews and the Environmental Protection Agency all confirmed that there is no chemical leak, threat of explosion, threat of fire, or risk to the public in connection with the chemical incident in Garden Grove.
While residents are able to return to their homes, Western Avenue between Garden Grove Boulevard and Chapman Avenue remains closed until further notice.
Emergency crews have been tending to a compromised storage tank carrying thousands of gallons of methyl methacrylate at GKN Aerospace since Thursday. They’ve been working around the clock since then to lower the internal temperature of the tank to prevent it from potentially spilling or exploding
On Monday, OCFA announced that a crack in the tank was discovered, allowing pressure to release. Following the discovery, officials said the tank was no longer at risk of an explosion called a BLEVE, which stands for boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion.
As part of the response to the compromised tank, emergency crews were seen dousing it with water in an effort to decrease the tank’s internal temperature and prevent it from overheating. OCFA said Tuesday that the hose streams were turned off as the tank temperature remained steady.
🚨 ALL EVACUATION ORDERS LIFTED 🚨
All evacuation orders related to the Garden Grove hazardous materials incident have been lifted.
Unified Command (Fire, Law, EPA, and County Health) have confirmed there is: >>>> pic.twitter.com/LBR822bu3x
— OCFA (@OCFireAuthority) May 27, 2026