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EPA Provides Air Monitoring After Chemical Leak Prompts Evacuations in Garden Grove
The Environmental Protection Agency deployed air monitors at a Garden Grove aerospace facility after a pressurized storage tank began heating. Officials lifted evacuation orders for roughly 50,000 residents after ruling out an explosion risk.
May 28, 1:56 PM·1m read1 source
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The agency stated that all monitors currently show non-detect readings and that it is coordinating with state and local authorities, including the Orange County Fire Authority, which is leading the response.
Fire authorities initially identified two possible outcomes: a catastrophic explosion or a major spill. A crack in the tank and cooling efforts by responders eliminated the explosion scenario earlier in the week. On Tuesday night, the Orange County Fire Authority announced that all public evacuation orders had been lifted.
A street closure on Western Street between Garden Grove Boulevard and Chapman Avenue remains in place while crews continue temperature checks and mitigation work.
The Orange County Health Care Agency requested continued air monitoring to ensure chemical fumes do not pose a threat. Officials said exposure can irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory system, with longer-term contact potentially leading to severe respiratory distress.
Division Chief Nick Freeman of the Orange County Fire Authority told ABC7 that symptoms can begin mildly but may progress to require hospitalization.
