LOS ANGELES – Firefighters warned on May 23 that a tank of toxic chemicals in California is heating up, adding to fears of a catastrophic explosion that has already forced tens of thousands of Californians to evacuate.
About 40,000 residents were ordered to leave their homes in the Garden Grove area of Orange County, south-east of Los Angeles, on May 22 after the tank began to leak, sending fumes over a heavily populated area.
The tank contains 26,400 litres of methyl methacrylate, a volatile and flammable liquid used to make plastics, with firefighters warning the situation was serious.
Orange County Fire Authority Incident Commander Craig Covey said on the morning of May 23 that an emergency team had ventured into the area overnight, seeking to neutralise the “explosive potential” posed by an additional 56,700-litre tank nearby should the 26,400-litre tank blow up, and were then able to view the temperature gauge on the 26,400-litre tank.
“Unfortunately, I do have to report that the temperature was 32 deg C. Yesterday morning, it was 25 deg C when we backed out. It’s been averaging about a degree an hour increasing, so that’s the bad news,” he said in a short video posted on social media.
He said firefighters are seeking ways to cool the tank. Aerial footage filmed by local TV stations on May 22 showed jets of water being sprayed at the tank, which has a capacity of 128,700 litres.
“The primary focus is the tanks,” Mr Covey said during an evening press conference on May 23. “We’re continuing to keep them cool and monitor them.”
A blast zone map released by the Orange County Fire Authority showed areas within about 335m of the tank would sustain severe damage in the event of an explosion, and about the same distance from that radius could experience light damage.
On May 22, the authorities described the tank exploding or rupturing as the only possible outcomes, but on May 23 Mr Covey said: “Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable.”
“Our goal is to find something and not allow that to happen, not to let it damage our community, not let it damage our environment.”
He added that residents had followed directions to evacuate and the only people at risk now were the emergency responders.
Orange County Health Officer Regina Chinsio-Kwong said on May 22 the large exclusion zone around the tank was a necessary precaution.
“If it does explode and there is a vapour, you are all safe as long as you are out of the zone that was determined to be an evacuation zone,” she said.
A map showing the potential blast radius and evacuation zones following a chemical leak from a large storage tank in California on May 23.
PHOTO: EPA
No injuries had been reported as at the evening on May 22, and there was no immediate indication as to what caused the leak, which was initially reported on Thursday.
Responders were working to put containment barriers in place to prevent any spilt material from reaching storm drains or river channels that funnel into the ocean.
The US Environmental Protection Agency says methyl methacrylate is irritating to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes in humans.
“Respiratory effects have been reported in humans following acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) inhalation exposures,” a fact sheet on the agency’s website says.
“Neurological symptoms have also been reported in humans following acute exposure.” AFP
