SACRAMENTO \u2014 An overheated tank in Orange County containing thousands of gallons of highly flammable toxic liquid prompted\u00a0Gov. Gavin Newsom to request federal emergency aid, his office announced Sunday.<\/p>\n
Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency Saturday because of the crisis, which involves a storage tank maintained by aircraft parts manufacturer GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove. The tank contains about 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate and began heating and leaking toxic fumes Thursday.<\/p>\n
Late Saturday, a group of firefighters observed a crack in the tank that could be allowing some gas to escape and reduce the pressure in the tank, TJ McGovern, interim fire chief for the Orange County Fire Authority, said in a social media post Sunday. That could make an explosion less likely, though officials have not ruled out the possibility of a dangerous explosion.<\/p>\n
Firefighters have been spraying the tank with water in an effort to cool it, the\u00a0Associated Press reported<\/a>. Officials are monitoring the temperature of the tank with drones and have created barriers designed to prevent the chemical from running into waterways if it begins leaking in liquid form out of the tank.<\/p>\n The federal emergency declaration\u00a0Newsom is seeking would provide some federal funding for the response to the incident, including helping pay for overtime work and emergency response equipment. It would also allow for direct assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to Newsom\u2019s office.<\/p>\n