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I'M LIKE SENATOR MITCHELL. SHARE HAS THE NIGHT OFF.
THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS EVACUATED ACROSS A LARGE PORTION OF ORANGE COUNTY. WHERE A CHEMICAL LEAK THREATENS TO BLOW UP A CHEMICAL TANK AT AN AEROSPACE FACILITY, ACCORDING TO FIRE OFFICIALS. THERE ARE ONLY 2 WAYS THE SITUATION WILL LIKELY UNFOLD. NEITHER OF THEM IS GOOD. KTLA'S SHELBY NELSON IS MONITORING THE DEVELOPMENTS LIVE IN LOS ALAMITOS.
>> WHERE A CHEMICAL LEAK THREATENS TO BLOW UP A CHEMICAL TANK AT AN AEROSPACE FACILITY, ACCORDING TO FIRE OFFICIALS. THERE ARE ONLY 2 WAYS THE SITUATION WILL LIKELY UNFOLD. NEITHER OF THEM IS GOOD. KTLA'S SHELBY NELSON IS MONITORING THE DEVELOPMENTS LIVE IN LOS ALAMITOS.
>> AS EVERYONE HAS BEEN PUSHED BACK FROM MILES, SHELBY.
>> HI SANDY AND MIKE. AMS OLD METH ACRYLATE. THAT IS THE CHEMICAL THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. OFFICIALS SAYING THAT IT IS HIGHLY VOLATILE, CAN CREATE RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS AMONG MANY OTHER HEALTH ISSUES. NOW LET'S TAKE A LOOK FROM SKY 5 AND THEIR VANTAGE POINT. WHAT WE CAN SEE FROM THAT AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN WATCHING FOR ROUGHLY A DAY NOW. THEY'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THESE 3 TANKS, BUT ONE OF THEM IS IN CRISIS. WILL AN UPDATE TO THAT? OFFICIALS SAYING THAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE TEMPERATURE OF THAT TANK. THEY'RE CONTINUING A WATER CURTAIN ON IT. THEY SAY TEMPERATURE STABILIZED AND BUYING THEM TIME ON HOW TO FIX THIS. BECAUSE OF HOW VOLATILE THE SITUATION HAS BECOME, OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN MONITORING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE TANK IN QUESTION WITH A DRONE.
>> WE'RE AT TO CURRENT OPTIONS AND OUTCOMES OF THIS TANK. ONE, IT FAILS. AND CRACKS AND ALL THE PRODUCT LEAKS OUT ONTO THE GROUND. THE OTHER OPTION THAT WAS TOLD TO US IS THAT IT BLOWS UP.
A HAZMAT CRISIS IN GARDEN GROVE PUTTING SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS AT RISK AND FORCING THE EVACUATION OF ROUGHLY 40,000 RESIDENTS.
>> I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT WAS CHEMICALS IN THIS AREA AND.
>> THE BACKUP THAT CLOSE. AND WE NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN BEFORE. OFFICIALS WITH ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY AND NEIGHBORING AGENCIES TELLING PEOPLE TO GET OUT NOW AS A MASSIVE STORAGE TANK CONTAINING ROUGHLY 7,000 GALLONS OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS IS SET TO FAIL UNLESS EXPERTS CAN MIRACULOUSLY FIGURE OUT A WAY TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING.
>> THEY'VE CALLED IN HAZMAT TEAMS FROM AROUND THE COUNTY AND STATE WHILE EXPANDING EVACUATIONS. MENTAL RELATE.
>> IT IS A HIGHLY TOXIC AS PREVIOUSLY SUBSTANCE. SO IT CAN IMPACT RESPIRATORY SYSTEM, CAUSE SKIN IRRITATION AND I ARE TAISHAN. THE OTHER CONCERN WE HAVE IS EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE AND IN ITS CURRENT STATE VERY REACTIVE AND CAN CAUSE THAT EXPLOSION. THURSDAY AFTERNOON, FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDED TO AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING COMPANY GKN AEROSPACE ON WESTERN AVENUE AFTER THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF THE CHEMICAL METHYL METH ACRYLATE.
>> A VOLATILE LIQUID USED TO MAKE PLASTICS WAS REPORTED IN A COMPROMISED STORAGE CONTAINER. IT APPEARED CREWS WERE GETTING HANDLE ON THE SITUATION BY THE EVENING, BUT THINGS TOOK A TURN. THEY DISCOVERED THE PRIMARY TANK THAT'S IN CRISIS.
>> WE WERE UNABLE TO ACCESS THE VALVES. THE VALVES ARE BROKEN. THE GUMMED UP WITH THE AGENT AND WE'RE UNABLE TO OFFLOAD THE MATERIAL THROUGH THE SYSTEM. SAID IT HAS J. KERRY LIVES ABOUT A MILE AND A HALF AWAY FROM THE SITE. NOW HIM, HIS WIFE, 2 KIDS AND PETS.
>> ARE ALL AT ONE OF THE 2 SHELTERS SET UP AFTER BEING NOTIFIED FRIDAY MORNING TO GET OUT. IT GOT PUSHED BACK TO TRASK AVENUE AND THAT'S I TOLD FAMILY NOT GET UP. SOMETHING LIKE THIS SHOULD BE HAPPENING IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS. YEAH, I'D USE ITS SCARY. OFFICIALS AT THIS CONGREGATE LIVING HEALTH FACILITY CALLED NARROW RESTORATIVE TELLING KTLA 10 PATIENTS HAD TO BE EVACUATED AS A PRECAUTION. WE'RE TOLD IT'S IT'S DOWNWIND FROM THE MASSIVE STORAGE TANK. SOME PATIENTS ON ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT REQUIRED THE HELP OF PARAMEDICS.
NOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW IS A LIST OF SOME OF THE ADDRESSES FOR THE SHELTER SET UP. SAVANNAH HIGH SCHOOL WAS JUST ADDED TO THAT LIST IN ANAHEIM. AND OFFICIALS WITH PLANET FITNESS ALSO SAYING THAT EVACUEES CAN UTILIZE THEIR FACILITIES AND THEY DON'T NEED TO BE MEMBERS EITHER. NOW AGAIN, BACK OUT HERE LIVE. THE QUESTION IF BUT NOT WHEN THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN. BUT OFFICIALS ALSO SAYING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STABILIZE.
>> THE TEMPERATURE OF THAT TANK IN CRISIS, BUYING THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME. THAT'S THE VERY LATEST IN LOS ALAMITOS. I'M SHELBY NELSON, KTLA, 5 NEWS.
>> SHELBY, THANKS FOR THE UPDATE. OFFICIALS SAY THAT HIGHLY TOXIC CHEMICAL DOES POSE SEVERE HEALTH RISKS TO PEOPLE AND TO ANIMALS IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA. LAUREN LISTER TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CHEMICAL INVOLVED.
HI THERE. OFFICIALS SAY THE CHEMICAL IS AT ITS LOCATION IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE THE COMPANY USES IT TO CREATE ACRYLIC PLASTICS FOR THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY. BUT AS THEY PREPARE FOR A STORAGE TANK CONTAINING IT TO FAIL, THEY ARE WARNING ABOUT HEALTH RISKS OF PEOPLE COME IN CONTACT WITH PAPERS RANGING FROM SKIN IRRITATION TO CONDITIONS THAT WILL LAND YOU IN THE HOSPITAL.
>> IT IS A CHEMICAL THAT IS VERY TOXIC. AUTHORITIES WARNING ABOUT THE DANGEROUS AND HIGHLY FLAMMABLE CHEMICAL IN THE GARDEN GROVE STORAGE TANK. THEY SAY IS EITHER GOING TO FAIL IN THE FORM OF A LEAK OR EXPLODE. HERE IS THE IMPACT EXPOSURE COULD HAVE ON PEOPLE. RESPIRATORY IS OUR PRIMARY CONCERN. SO IT'S A RESPIRATORY IRRITANT. SO IT CAN START OFF VERY MILD.
BUT IT CAN PROGRESS TO A POINT WHERE YES, YOU WOULD PROBABLY REQUIRE HOSPITALIZATION IF NOT MORE. IT'S CALLED METHYL METH ACRYLATE AND INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL USED IN PLASTIC IN MANUFACTURING AND THERE IS 7,000 GALLONS OF IT IN A STORAGE CONTAINER IN CRISIS. OFFICIALS SAY ONE OF THE REASONS THE EVACUATION AREA HAS BEEN EXPANDED IS BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL OF A PLUME. AND EVEN LIMITED EXPOSURE CAN CAUSE IRRITATION. WHEN YOU HAVE LIMITED SHORT-TERM EXPOSURE, MEANING MAYBE YOU INHALED SOME OF THE VAPOR.
IT CAN CAUSE SIGNIFICANT IRRITATION IN THE LUNGS, THE NASAL PASSAGES. THEY SAY IT CAN ALSO CAUSE NAUSEA AND DIZZINESS. AND HIGH LEVELS IT CAN CAUSE SEVERE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS NEEDING HOSPITAL CARE. AND PASS REAL LIFE EXAMPLES TO LEARN FROM OUR LIMITED. OFFICIALS SAYING THEY HAVEN'T FOUND A PRECEDENT FOR THIS TYPE OF HAZMAT EMERGENCY. THIS IS A UNIQUE SITUATION.
>> WE DON'T HAVE INFORMATION OF A SIMILAR SITUATION WHERE THIS HAPPENED.
THE ORANGE COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER ALSO SAID BIRDS AND ANIMALS ARE AFFECTED IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND THEY'RE WORKING WITH SPECIALISTS AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT.