{"id":451,"date":"2026-05-25T20:39:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T20:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=451"},"modified":"2026-05-25T20:39:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T20:39:32","slug":"garden-grove-chemical-tank-no-longer-threat-for-catastrophic-explosion-officials-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=451","title":{"rendered":"Garden Grove chemical tank no longer threat for catastrophic explosion, officials say"},"content":{"rendered":"

Crews have confirmed that a crack inside a malfunctioning chemical tank at a Garden Grove aerospace plant is indeed reducing pressure inside the container, leading fire officials to say they have turned a corner in heading off the most catastrophic threat \u2014 a massive explosion.<\/p>

Read more Vote now: Bay Area News Group girls athlete of the week<\/a><\/p>\n

Data collected from an \u201call-night mission\u201d by fire crews determined that the threat of a a highly destructive blast known as a \u201cboiling liquid expanding vapor explosion,\u201d or \u201cBLEVE,\u201d has been eliminated, interim Orange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern announced in a Monday morning, May 25, video update.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crack is there,\u201d Division Chief Craig Covey added. \u201cWe had identified it is there, and the tank has released its pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also see:<\/strong> What a crack in the tank means, and why liquid nitrogen is a bad idea<\/p>\n

After days of often dire warnings by fire officials and experts, the Monday morning announcement was the most optimistic update yet by those working to head off a potential disaster. A boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion \u2014 which would have likely caused massive damage and released a toxic chemical plume into the air \u2014 occurs when a sealed, pressurized container holding a liquid chemical ruptures.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe threat of a BLEVE is off the table,\u201d McGovern said. \u201cThat threat has been eliminated.\u201d<\/p>\n

The temperature inside the tank has also gone down, from at least 100 degrees to 93 degrees, the chief said. That is a key metric: At a high enough temperature, the chemical process was at risk of accelerating out of control \u2014 which could lead to a massive explosion.<\/p>\n

Also see:<\/strong> How OC evacuees can get assistance during the chemical threat<\/p>

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Addressing concerns from some in the community about the lack of regular updates on that internal tank temperature, Covey said that authorities had been allowing the tank to \u201csettle\u201d during the warmer hours and then sending crews in to check on it during the cooler overnight hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were not doing tank temperature checks during the day when the sun was on it in the most extreme conditions for that tank to go in the wrong direction,\u201d the division chief said. \u201cWe were only doing tank temperature checks at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Danger has not passed<\/h4>\n

All that means that the worst case scenario of mass damage to nearby homes and businesses, starkly illustrated in \u201cblast zone\u201d maps OCFA released days ago, is no longer one of the likely outcomes.<\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t mean the danger has fully passed.<\/p>

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Also see:<\/strong> How worried should you be about the chemical spill or explosion\u2019s impact on your health?<\/p>\n

A smaller explosion would still release chemicals and send debris from the plant flying. Or a leak could release the chemicals from the tank. In either case, wind could disperse a chemical plume farther into the community.<\/p>\n

That means the evacuation of roughly 50,000 residents in Garden Grove and nearby communities continues. Those evacuations have lasted for four days, through the holiday weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be clear that the evacuation zones are still in play,\u201d McGovern said.<\/p>\n

Also see:<\/strong> Map shows Garden Grove chemical emergency and evacuation area<\/p>\n

At some point \u2014 when the threat of any explosion or leak is eliminated \u2014 the evacuation zones will be strategically re-assessed, the chief said in a Monday morning interview following the video update. But there isn\u2019t a time frame yet for when that will occur.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the evacuation zone decreases,\u201d McGovern said, \u201crepopulation occurs.\u201d<\/p>\n