California chemical tank blast danger 'fades'

NEW YORK:

Experts trying to prevent a tank holding a highly toxic and flammable chemical from exploding in Southern California found a "potential crack" in the container that might be reducing the pressure, a fire official said on Sunday.

Since Friday, officials have warned that the tank, which contains methyl methacrylate, a chemical used in plastics and manufacturing, could rupture and spill up to 7,000 gallons (26,500 liters) of toxic material or explode and endanger other tanks on the GKN Aerospace site.

The incident began on Thursday at the company's facility in Garden Grove, California, which makes aircraft windshields and specialty aerospace plastics among other things, as the chemical began to overheat. Efforts to neutralize the reaction failed due to damage to valves on the tank, fire officials have said.

Evacuation orders were issued on Friday for an area of Garden Grove, a suburb roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Los Angeles. Tens of thousands of people are covered by the evacuation orders.

TJ McGovern, interim fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said in a video message posted on social media that a team of specialists on Saturday night found "a potential crack in the tank, which could potentially be relieving some of the pressure in there."

Discovering the potential crack was "positive intel", McGovern said.

Authorities are still trying to determine whether the possible crack has relieved pressure in the tank, a spokesperson for the Orange County Fire Authority told Reuters. Lowering the pressure could help avert an explosion, he said.

"We continue to monitor the condition of the affected material and are working round the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak," the company said in a statement.

Although officials for now are focused on measuring pressure, the spokesperson said, the crack eventually could allow authorities to drain the chemicals gradually.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday said he had requested that President Donald Trump issue a federal emergency declaration to support response operations. Newsom declared a state of emergency for Orange County on Saturday.