California declares emergency over aerospace chemical leak threat

Emergency declared over chemical threat

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County on Saturday as hazardous materials teams raced to contain an industrial chemical threat at a Garden Grove aerospace facility, warning that the situation remained volatile despite more than 24 hours of continuous state support.

The emergency order followed warnings that a storage tank at the GKN Aerospace plant containing thousands of gallons of methyl methacrylate — a volatile industrial compound — had begun overheating and venting toxic gases. Authorities said the tank holds an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 gallons of the substance, which can cause severe respiratory damage and environmental contamination if released uncontrollably.

Mass evacuations and road closures

Newsom stated on the social media platform X that state agencies had been mobilized since Friday to assist local responders, warning that the facility still faces a risk of "catastrophic failure." He noted that municipal authorities lack sufficient capacity to manage an incident of this magnitude and added that the California National Guard stands ready for deployment if emergency operations require additional support.

Evacuation orders affecting more than 44,000 residents were issued Friday as hazardous gas readings spiked near the facility, according to US media reports. Several schools in the Garden Grove area remained closed Saturday and major traffic arteries were shut down while decontamination teams worked to stabilize the chemical tanks.