Chemical tank ‘on the edge’ of exploding in California as crews try to avert disaster

Firefighters on Saturday were trying to cool a chemical tank “literally on the edge” of exploding in Garden Grove, California, as they worked to avert a disastrous “worst-case” scenario, the incident’s commander said.

Firefighters on Saturday were trying to cool a chemical tank “literally on the edge” of exploding in Southern California as they worked to avert a disastrous “worst-case” scenario, the incident’s commander said.

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The 7,000-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate, a toxic chemical used to manufacture resins and plastics, could also then set off an explosion in a 15,000-gallon tank nearby that holds the same substance, Chief Craig Covey, the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) incident commander, told NBC News on Saturday.

“We’re talking about possibly one of the worst chemical incidents in California history,” he said.