<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Authorities in Southern California are racing to figure out how to prevent the explosion of a storage tank that has been leaking a hazardous chemical used to make plastic parts, as some 40,000 people are under evacuation orders in the area.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A storage tank holding between 22,700 and 26,500 litres of methyl methacrylate overheated on Thursday and began venting vapors into the air at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, a city in Orange County, the local fire authority said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The tank could fail and crack, releasing the chemical onto the ground, or it could explode, Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey said on Friday.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/coal-mine-gas-explosion-in-china-kills-82-people-state-media-say/d1b9d81d-fb22-4805-890e-2b828101bd5d"><strong><span>At least 90 killed in China coal mine gas explosion, dozens trapped</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This thing is going to fail, and we don't know when," Covey said. "We're doing our best to figure out when or how we can prevent it."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Officials ordered residents in Garden Grove to leave and expanded evacuation orders on Friday to some residents of five other Orange County cities — Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster — after being unable to stop the leak overnight on the tank at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>No injuries or deaths have been reported, authorities said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/orange-county-california-chemical-tank-leak-40000-evacuated-over-explosion-fears/b666bcb5-b484-475c-99e7-d5d40b2786d8" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In an update later on Friday, Covey said authorities have been able to maintain the tank's temperature, buying time to figure out how to fix it.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Garden Grove is about 61 kilometres south of downtown Los Angeles and less than a mile from Disneyland's two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders on Friday. The city is known for its vibrant Vietnamese community, one of the largest of any US city.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/shooting-vietnam-australian-crime-family/2649d7a5-1f26-4e25-b10e-c9e9e24e4507"><strong><span>New footage emerges after Sydney underworld figure shot dead in Vietnam</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Danny Pham said he was deep in a dream when his roommate banged on his door about 7am on Friday and told him he needed to leave immediately. Pham had been working late the night before at a Vietnamese restaurant and had not seen the news.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It was shocking to me," said Pham, who lives only a couple blocks from the plastics plant. "I didn't know how serious it would be. I never knew that a thing like this could happen."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He left minutes later, grabbing only his wallet and passport, and took shelter at a friend's restaurant in a neighboring city.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>By late Friday afternoon, Pham was still trying to figure out where he would stay the night and worrying that he had only the clothes on his back, possibly for days to come.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Covey said crews have created containment barriers with sandbags in case there is a chemical spill from the tank to prevent the toxic chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/fedpols-new-polling-suggest-labor-returned-to-power-one-nation-opposition-coalition-wipeout/5195ebb6-915a-41d5-9490-11f06e0397c0"><strong><span>One Nation would form federal opposition, Labor re-elected, according to new polling</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Dr Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the county health officer, said if the chemical heats up, it can release a vapor that is harmful to people's health. It can cause respiratory issues, itching and burning eyes, nausea and headaches.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Crews were initially successful and were able to neutralize one of two damaged tanks, but Covey said they determined on Friday morning that the remaining tank was "in the biggest crisis".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>GKN Aerospace said specialised hazardous material teams are assessing the situation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There are no reports of injuries at this time and our priority remains the safety of our employees, responders, and the surrounding community," a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We will provide verified updates as soon as more information becomes available."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Kim Yen, a retiree in Garden Grove, was settling in for the night on Thursday when she heard a siren-like sound coming from her phone. An alert told her she needed to leave her home, which was just two blocks from the chemical leak.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As Yen drove to her daughter's house in Seal Beach, she worried that others in the local Vietnamese community might ignore or not understand the evacuation alert because it was in English.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They are family," she said. "I'm hoping they stay alert and listen to the news and the authorities. This is scary."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Yen, who is originally from Vietnam and has lived in Orange County since 1980, quickly stopped by her house on Friday morning to grab important documents and medications. By then her neighborhood was "a ghost town," and she was comforted to see police officers going door to door to make sure everyone had evacuated.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We understand that this is frightening," Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein said. "But the evacuation orders are in place for your safety."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Local Vietnamese television stations translated updates from officials and urged residents to take the situation seriously.</span></div></div>