A drone view shows water being sprayed during a chemical incident involving a leaking tank of methyl methacrylate, forcing an evacuation in the surrounding area, in Garden Grove, California, US, May 23, 2026. [Photo/Agencies]
Federal, state and local authorities in the United States continued emergency response operations Monday after a chemical incident at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, Southern California, prompted the evacuation of nearly 50,000 residents across multiple communities in Orange County. Officials said the immediate threat of a catastrophic explosion had been eliminated, although evacuation orders remained in effect in affected areas.
According to the Orange County Fire Authority, the incident began Thursday at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove after a 34,000-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate began overheating and venting chemical vapor. Methyl methacrylate is a highly flammable industrial chemical commonly used in the production of acrylic plastics.
Fire officials had warned that failure of the compromised tank could result either in the release of thousands of gallons of chemicals or a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion, known as a BLEVE. Mandatory evacuation orders were subsequently issued for portions of Garden Grove, Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Stanton and Westminster.
