Southern California Chemical Tank
People arrive at Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
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Authorities are bracing for the possibility that a damaged chemical tank at a facility in Southern California could leak or explode. An evacuation order continued into the Memorial Day weekend for 40,000 residents of Garden Grove with no timeline on when they can return. No injuries were reported after the pressurized tank overheated Thursday. Firefighters hope to find a way to cool off the chemical inside the tank so it won’t leak or explode. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday declared a state of emergency in Orange County. Several shelters remain open, including at three high schools.
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