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The new zone impacts 16,000 residents. The new map barriers include Orangewood Avenue to the north, Dale Street to the east, Knott Street to the west and Garden Grove Boulevard to the south.
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — Officials announced Monday that the threat of a catastrophic explosion at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove has been eliminated after days of emergency operations surrounding a tank containing toxic chemicals.
The dangerous situation forced nearly 50,000 Orange County residents to evacuate over the weekend. Officials said Monday evening that the evacuation zone has now been significantly reduced, affecting about 16,000 residents.
Emergency crews spent the night carrying out a high-risk operation to determine whether pressure inside the damaged tank was safely releasing after a crack was discovered. Firefighters removed insulation from the outside of the tank to improve cooling efforts as water continued to lower the tank’s temperature.
The Orange County Fire Authority said the possibility of a BLEVE — short for Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion — is “off the table,” confirming that temperatures inside the tank are continuing to decrease.
While officials said the immediate catastrophic danger has passed, they cautioned that a smaller explosion, fire, or chemical leak remains possible as crews continue stabilizing the situation.
Residents are still being urged to stay away from the reduced evacuation area. Officials emphasized that neighborhoods outside the evacuation zone are considered safe and that normal daily activities may continue.
No injuries have been reported.
Investigators have not yet determined what caused the chemical tank to overheat.
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