All evacuation orders lifted after explosion at California chemical tank is averted

The remaining 16,000 residents of Garden Grove, California, were allowed to return home Tuesday, days after the threat of a catastrophic explosion at a chemical tank prompted fears of an environmental disaster.

The remaining 16,000 residents of a Southern California city were allowed to return home Tuesday, days after the threat of a catastrophic explosion at a chemical tank prompted fears of an environmental disaster.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

The crisis at the 7,000-gallon tank of the toxic and flammable chemical methyl methacrylate at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, first detected Thursday, had prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

By Tuesday night, there was no longer a risk of explosion, no chemical leak, no threat of fire and no risk to the public, the Orange County Fire Authority said.