The hazardous materials alert that remains in effect in Garden Grove is at the GKN Aerospace facility, Rep. Derek Tran, D-Westminster, said Friday.
“I am closely monitoring the toxic leak at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove,” Tran said in a statement. “My office is in close contact with local police, fire, and emergency response officials as they work to contain the hazardous materials, assess air quality, and ensure residents and first responders are safe.
“I am in contact with federal disaster relief officials, including FEMA and the EPA, to urge them to provide any available federal assistance for Garden Grove. I encourage everyone in the affected area to follow guidance from local authorities and avoid the impacted zones until further guidance is issued.”
Firefighters responded to the hazardous materials alert at 3:30 p,m, Thursday at Western and Lampson avenues.
Tran said the leak involved “… methyl methacrylate, a volatile and flammable chemical.”
Methyl methacrylate is a liquid used to make acrylic plastics.
GKN Aerospace, a leading global supplier of vehicle and aircraft components, manufactures acrylic plastics.
“We arrived to a 34,000-gallon tank containing an industrial chemical that had been overheated inside the vessel,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Sean Doran told KTLA5. “The system activated as it was designed to, released vapors through the top and the sprinkler system was activated to start the cooling process.”
OCFA crews sprayed the tank with water to continue the cooling process, Doran told the station.
Buildings from Western Avenue to Beach Boulevard, and from Garden Grove Boulevard to Orangewood Avenue were evacuated, Garden Grove Police Department Sgt. Nick Jensen said.
A reunification center was set up at Rancho Alamitos High School on Dale Street.
Those evacuation orders, along with orders for the area along Lampson Avenue from Santa Rosalia Avenue to Western Avenue, were eventually lifted as of 8:40 p.m. Thursday, the OCFA officials said
The said street closures in the area — including Western Avenue from Garden Grove Boulevard to Chapman Avenue and Lampson Avenue from Santa Rosalia to Western avenues — will remain in effect until further notice.
So far, no injuries have been reported.
It was unclear what caused the tank to overheat.