By Evaristo Lara
Gavin Newsom, governor of California, declared a state of emergency in Orange County due to the risk that a huge tank containing chemicals capable of exploding to affect an area of 26 square kilometers in the city of Backyard Grove.
The problem began Thursday, when Orange County firefighters responded to a call about a leak at the GKN aerospace manufacturing company in Backyard Grove.
Upon arriving at the site, they detected the release of steam in a 34,000-gallon tank that contained methyl methacrylate, a compound used in the manufacture of plastics.
From that moment on, together with the support of the police, various options have been sought to contain the escape, but the situation, far from improving, has worsened.
Since last night, Numerous fire crews have not stopped pumping water on the enormous, superheated, pressurized and bulging container, as it is located next to three other smaller, but no less harmless, containers.
Faced with the possibility of an explosion in Orange, through a statement, Democrat Newsom asked that 50,000 people evacuate the area and go to places where they can stay out of danger.
“The safety of Orange County residents is the top priority. “We are mobilizing all available state resources to support local emergency services and ensure that the community has what it needs to stay safe,” part of the letter states.
So far, the concern is that a leak of 7,000 gallons of chemicals will occur, which would spread quickly causing serious damage, but the most lethal scenario is that the tank at risk explodes and generates a dangerous fireball.
The area in danger is densely populated and hence the order from the state leader to evacuate it early and in an orderly manner.
News in development…
