Emergency crews in Orange County are facing a highly complex race against time as they try to secure a bulging, pressurized tank loaded with 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate. Resolving the crisis has proven incredibly difficult due to a phenomenon known as a “thermal runaway” reaction, where the chemical generates its own uncontrollable heat, threatening either a massive toxic leak or a catastrophic explosion.
Evacuations around the failing tank in Garden Grove expanded to include tens of thousands of residents in six Orange County cities: Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster.
Several years ago there was a near catastrophe in Philadelphia which could've killed everyone in the vicinity of Center City, including me.