LOS ANGELES, May 26 (Xinhua) -- All evacuation orders related to a hazardous materials incident in Southern California were lifted Tuesday evening, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
The agency said in a post on X that fire crews, the Environmental Protection Agency and county health officials have confirmed "there is no chemical leak, no threat of explosion, no threat of fire, and no risk to the public" in connection with the chemical crisis in Garden Grove.
Garden Grove police said on social media that "We are pleased to announce that the evacuation zone has been removed" and "All residents may return to their homes and business may reopen."
Authorities on Monday lifted evacuation orders for approximately 34,000 residents in Orange County, down from a peak of more than 50,000 people displaced at the height of the emergency. Many evacuees had been staying in overcrowded shelters. However, as of the latest decision, roughly 16,000 residents remain unable to return home pending further assessment.
Officials said they continued monitoring the damaged toxic chemical tank at an aerospace manufacturing facility in Garden Grove.
Greg Barta, a public information officer for the Orange County Fire Authority, said in a video update on X Tuesday that crews are now neutralizing tanks adjacent to the primary unit involved in the incident. Officials had previously announced that the overheating tank at the center of the crisis in Garden Grove was no longer at risk of exploding.
After days of around-the-clock cooling efforts, firefighters successfully reduced the runaway temperature in the tank from a peak well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) to safer levels.
Officials said a crack in the tank helped relieve pressure, reducing the risk of a catastrophic Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion. Despite this, they cautioned that a smaller explosion or chemical leak remains possible.
The crisis began Thursday when emergency crews raced to cool down a tank containing volatile industrial chemicals at the aerospace manufacturing facility in Garden Grove following an initial leak. California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday declared a state of emergency in Orange County. ■
