Thousands ordered to evacuate around leaking California chemical tank

California’s authorities said on Friday that approximately 40,000 residents in Orange County were ordered to evacuate following a critical chemical leak at a Garden Grove aerospace facility. Emergency crews warned the highly volatile and flammable chemical tank would either fail or explode, prompting widespread evacuations and school closures.

The compromised tank overheated, forcing firefighters to continuously douse it with water to prevent an explosion. Besides, Hazardous materials teams and firefighters sprayed the tank with a water curtain to lower its temperature, buying vital time to stabilize the crisis.