Authorities in Southern California said Monday the danger of a catastrophic explosion at a damaged chemical tank has been eliminated after an overnight inspection found that a crack in the tank released pressure and cooled the unstable chemical inside.
Emergency crews had been monitoring the tank for days amid fears that rising temperatures and internal pressure could trigger a major blast, prompting evacuations and safety warnings in nearby areas.
The results of the evaluation were "incredibly positive news,” and allowed officials to turn the corner after days of concern about a possible explosion, said Orange County Fire Authority division chief Craig Covey.
However, evacuation orders remained in place for about 50,000 people in Garden Grove, California, located south of Los Angeles. There has been no chemical leak as of early Monday, but the Orange County Fire Authority said the risk to public safety is "ongoing.”
Covey didn’t say in the recorded message what the most likely outcome might be but officials had previously said they hoped to cool off the chemical inside the tank so it wouldn't leak or explode. The tank’s interior had cooled to 93 degrees F (33.9 degrees C), Covey said, down from 100 degrees (37.7 Celsius) Sunday.
