FBI searches California aerospace plant after chemical tank emergency

Federal agents searched a Southern California aerospace plant Wednesday after an overheated chemical tank triggered the evacuation of 50,000 residents last month and raised fears of a catastrophic explosion.

The FBI confirmed its agents were at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems in Garden Grove, an Orange County facility that makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields. A search warrant signed by a federal judge last week authorized agents to seize documents and records tied to the “storage, use, or disposal” of methyl methacrylate, the highly flammable chemical inside the tank.

The warrant also sought “samples of the substance within any tank, tote, drum, vat, vessel, or container suspected of containing or having previously contained methyl methacrylate and/or any hazardous substance.” Agents were also authorized to take records related to “any cooling equipment or other equipment used to control or regulate the temperature of methyl methacrylate.”

GKN said it is cooperating. “We are cooperating with authorities at our Garden Grove facility and will continue to do so,” a company spokesperson told The Associated Press.

The tank that overheated contained 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a liquid used in making plastics and coatings, including Plexiglas and dental prosthetics. The Environmental Protection Agency says exposure to the chemical can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological issues and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat.

The incident was reported May 21, and evacuations began the next day. Officials said the tank overheated after a valve failed on a cooling system that kept it at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Crews sprayed water on the tank until its internal temperature stabilized at 92 F, down from 100 F. A sprinkler system helped douse the tank, and the company said technical specialists and firefighters removed insulation to cool it.

Authorities said a crack that formed in the tank relieved pressure and helped avert an explosion, allowing most evacuees to return home over Memorial Day weekend. The final evacuation orders were lifted after the tank temperature remained stable for four hours without sprinkler intervention.

The Orange County Health Care Agency, which is leading cleanup and waste removal, said the chemical remains in the holding tank. The agency had planned to begin pumping the neutralized methyl methacrylate into sealed trucks for transport and disposal late last week, but said Friday the removal did not happen “due to unavailable resources.” Officials said they would provide advance notice to the community once a new date is confirmed.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is conducting a separate criminal investigation, spokesperson Kimberly Edds told the AP. “We have sent a preservation letter to GKN directing them not to modify or destroy any evidence, which the company’s outside counsel confirmed receipt,” Edds said.

At a community meeting Tuesday, GKN Aerospace’s Steve Carlin thanked firefighters and local leaders and apologized to residents. “On behalf of GKN and the Garden Grove plant I want to say that I’m sorry that this event and this incident occurred,” he said. “I understand and I realized sitting here tonight what a disruptive event it was and how unsettling it is to the greater community.”

City leaders and residents urged the company to consider moving the methyl methacrylate tanks away from homes and businesses. Carlin said it was too early in the investigation to decide what changes the company might make, but promised transparency.

About a dozen residents and businesses affected by the evacuation have filed lawsuits against GKN. Some reported strong odors, respiratory irritation, headaches and dizziness. Orange County health officials said no contamination or fumes were released and said they would continue monitoring air, sewers and storm drains for several months.

Five days after the Garden Grove emergency began, a large tank containing a corrosive chemical at a paper mill in Longview, Washington, ruptured and imploded, killing 11 people.