Toxic chemical tank on the brink of exploding has a CRACK in it emergency response crews find as schools closed and 50,000 residents evacuated from danger zone

Published: 20:55, 24 May 2026 | Updated: 21:26, 24 May 2026 California officials revealed a shocking update about a chemical tank on the verge of exploding at an aerospace facility.  The Orange County Fire Authority posted a critical update Sunday afternoon, saying a specialized team discovered a 'potential crack' in the 34,000-gallon tank at the GKN Aerospace facility.  'During that operation, our firefighters went in and were able to visualize the tank. What they found was a potential crack in the tank,' Interim Fire Chief TJ McGovern said in a video posted to X. This shocking discovery could 'potentially be relieving some of the [tank's] pressure' and McGovern assured that the team is 'vetting and validating' the new information. As new details emerged, the interim chief said officials could change their strategy to focus on preventing the toxic explosion.  'Last night was a successful operation for this emerging incident. There's going to be a lot more information coming today as we vet and validate all that information,' McGovern added. 'I want to reiterate - last night, this operation gave us positive intel to make educated decisions today in a positive light. We're not there yet, but this was a step in a right direction.' The chief concluded that more information will be released 'shortly.'  A toxic leak was reported Thursday at GKN Aerospace facility after a tank began leaking methyl methacrylate, a highly flammable chemical used to make acrylic plastics Interim Fire Chief TJ McGovern gave a critical incident update on Sunday Officials released a new map showing the potential blast zones of a chemical tank on the verge of exploding at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California ***CRITICAL INCIDENT UPDATE*** pic.twitter.com/YK2WhSPhNo Schools in the area have been closed and 50,000 people have been evacuated from around the city of Garden Grove since officials reported the toxic leak Thursday afternoon. The tank contains methyl methacrylate (MMA), a highly flammable chemical used to make acrylic plastics. Officials said a crew checked an internal gauge and found the temperature has been rising by about one degree every hour since Thursday morning. It is currently unclear what has caused the chemicals to overheat.  Officials have been battling to contain the leak but have so far been unsuccessful and previously warned it will only be a matter of time before it 'ruptures or explodes.'  On Saturday, officials released a map showing the potential blast zones should the tank explode, along with nearby areas that could be affected from the impact. The severe damage blast zone consists of the innermost circle closest to the tank, representing areas where 'severe structural damage and significant harm' are expected. Just outside are the moderate damage blast zone and light blast damage zone, where officials predict more limited structural damage and potential harm, though less severe. At the center of a map is a dark red oval indicating where flammable conditions could spark a fire or flash fire. The orange oval, officials said, marks areas immediately dangerous to life and health, where exposure could 'cause injury if anyone inhales or is impacted by the product in question.' Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Nick Freeman warned that the highly toxic chemical poses severe health risks to people and animals in this area, particularly to the respiratory system. An aerial view of traffic cones on closed streets while water is sprayed onto an overheated 34,000-gallon tank at GKN Aerospace A family is pictured sheltering in their cars at JFK High School evacuation center Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said: 'This thing is going to fail, and we don't know when' 'Respiratory is our primary concern, so it’s a respiratory irritant,' he told KTLA. 'It can start off very mild but it can progress to a point where you would probably require hospitalization, if not more.' Orange County Health Officer Dr Regina Chinsio-Kwong added that inhaling the vapor could cause dizziness, nausea, and, at high levels, severe respiratory distress. 'When you have limited, short-term exposure, meaning maybe you inhaled some of the vapor, it can cause significant irritation in the lungs, the nasal passages,' she told the outlet. The final and largest area - the yellow oval zone - is considered a non-hazardous zone, marking the odor threshold. Freeman said: 'This product has a very low odor threshold and can be smelled very easily, so that's why the area is very large, but it is non-hazardous at that level.' Chinsio-Kwong explained that the chemical has a strong, fruity scent, but noted that 'smelling it doesn’t mean it will have health impacts.' 'We know that when you smell it, you don’t typically have symptoms and when you actually measure the levels in the air, it doesn’t mean it’s dangerous,' she told KTLA. 'But again, if you are not in the evacuation zones, we do not expect any health impacts.' Desolate evacuated residential areas  Officials said the orange oval zone represents areas immediately dangerous to life and health, where exposure could 'cause injury if anyone inhales or is impacted by the product in question' She also stressed that the evacuation zone was based on a worst-case scenario, and urged all residents to stay away from evacuated areas. 'If you are not in the evacuation zone, you do not need to worry,' she added, noting that masks are not necessary. 'If you remain in the evacuation zone, that’s where your risk increases.' 'We have taken all the things into consideration and the map and blast zone map is just thinking about the worst case scenario. If you were told to evacuate, please evacuate because we’re trying to keep in mind your safety.' The aerospace facility has a toxic history, previously paying nearly $910,000 to settle environmental violations, the New York Post reported.  GKN agreed to a settlement with the South Coast Air Quality Management District in January 2025 over permit problems, missing pollution records and harmful nitrogen oxide issues at its Garden Grove plant.  Inspectors discovered these issues back in 2020, with public records showing the plant used operated with harmful chemicals, including one called hexavalent chromium, which is a known cancer-causing substance. Regulators said the plant may have released too much air pollution and didn’t properly test emissions like nitrogen oxides, which come from burning fuel. The agency issued a violation notice in April 2021 and kept asking the company for more records over time. Later, in March 2025, regulators again told the company to provide documents and fix paperwork about equipment and ownership changes at the facility, per public records. GKN paid a civil penalty of a staggering $900,000, according to South Coast AQMD. Now the California Division of Occupational Safety is investigating the current chemical debacle. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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