40,000 Southern Californians ordered to evacuate amid threat of chemical explosion

Authorities are working to prevent a potential hazmat explosion in Southern California, where an estimated 40,000 people were under evacuation orders

Authorities are working to prevent a potential hazmat explosion in Southern California, where an estimated 40,000 people were under evacuation orders.

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Fire officials face a rare situation in which they are unable to control the valves on an industrial tank at an aerospace manufacturing facility in Garden Grove. The tank, filled with a volatile and toxic chemical, is threatening to explode or leak.

Craig Covey, the Orange County Fire Authority incident commander at the scene, said Friday that experts from around the country have submitted “outside-the-box” ideas, some of which fire personnel hope to try out overnight, to prevent a potential disaster.