The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, issued a statement this Saturday state of emergency due to a leak of toxic chemicals from a tank at an aerospace plant. There are strict evacuation orders for residents of six cities. The imminent risk is due to explosion.
The statement was issued to orange countya neighbor of Los Angeles, in the United States, where emergency teams They maintain a race against time to stabilize the temperature of a damaged tankloaded with more than 26 thousand liters of methyl methacrylate, a volatile and flammable liquid used in the manufacture of acrylic plastics.
The leak that set off the alarms was reported at the GKN Aerospace facilities, located in the city of Garden Grove. It happened on Thursday evening, and since then the firefighters have been trying without success to stabilize the internal temperature of the tank, which It has been emitting toxic gases since Thursday.
The Orange County Fire Department confirmed that the temperature of the damaged tank It is increasing at an average of one degree Fahrenheit per hourso personnel from all over the country were transferred to attend to the emergency.
The acting chief of the Orange County Fire Authority warned that there are two catastrophic outcomes: the tank could fail and spill between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons of «very dangerous chemicals,» or suffer a «thermal runaway» and «definitely explode»which could trigger a chain reaction with fuel and chemical tanks in neighboring tanks.
He also stated that stabilizing the tank is extremely difficult, since the chemical generates its own uncontrollable heat, threatening to cause a massive toxic leak or a catastrophic explosion.
Nearly 40,000 residents have already been evacuated
Nearly 40,000 residents have already been evacuated in five nearby cities to the scene of the incident. Although the evacuation is expected to be even more massive.
The proclamation issued this Saturday directs the California Office of Emergency Services and all state government agencies to provide support to Orange County and affected local jurisdictions in addressing the emergency.
Additional resources and authorities were also made available for emergency response, including making state property available to provide shelter to evacuated residents as needed.
Newsom said in the statement that the goal is to ensure the community has everything they need to stay safe.
So far no injuries or deaths have been reported due to the leak, however neighbors have been reporting an acute environmental problem.
With information from EFE
