A drone view shows water being sprayed during a chemical incident involving a leaking tank of methyl methacrylate, a flammable liquid used in the aerospace industry, forcing an evacuation in the surrounding area, in Garden Grove, California, US, May 23, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/David Swanson)
25 May 2026 04:55AM
LOS ANGELES: Authorities in California on Sunday (May 24) said they discovered a crack in a damaged tank of toxic chemicals, potentially relieving pressure as the threat of an explosion has forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.About 40,000 residents were ordered to leave their homes in the Garden Grove area of Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles, on Friday after the tank began to leak, sending fumes over a heavily populated area about five miles from Disneyland.On Saturday night, firefighters approached the tank to gather information and saw a "potential crack in the tank, which could potentially be relieving some of the pressure in there," TJ McGovern, interim fire chief for the Orange County Fire Authority, said in a video post on X."This operation that we did gave us positive intel to make educated decisions today in the positive light," he said, adding that experts are carefully studying the information collected. "We're not there yet, but this was a step in a right direction."
