LOS ANGELES: Authorities are bracing for the possibility that a damaged chemical tank in Southern California could leak or explode, as an evacuation order continues into the Memorial Day weekend for 50,000 residents. Currently, there is no timeline on when they will be allowed to return to their homes.
Firefighters have been continuously spraying the outside of the tank with water hoses in an intense effort to cool down the chemicals heating up inside and prevent a major explosion.
Lee Zeldin, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said Sunday that the “most likely scenario” is a “low-volume release,” which would allow officials to successfully “monitor, neutralize, and contain the threat.”
“The Orange County Fire Authority is working to keep the temperature of the tank down. That is very important,” Zeldin stated during an interview on CNN.
He emphasized that keeping the internal temperature of the tank under 85 degrees F (29.4 degrees C) remains the key factor in controlling the situation.
The pressurized tank overheated on Thursday and began venting vapors at a commercial site in Garden Grove, located about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. No injuries have been reported so far. Air monitoring tests have revealed that air pollution around the evacuation zone is well within normal limits. Furthermore, state and federal environmental officials said Saturday that specialized equipment has been deployed to ensure no hazardous gas escapes from the compromised tank.
(With inputs from AP)
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