Evacuations lift near California’s Little Saigon as chemical spill probe widens

Orange County authorities lifted all evacuation orders Tuesday night after declaring that a damaged chemical tank at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove no longer posed a risk of explosion, fire or toxic release.

The Orange County Fire Authority announced the all-clear at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, clearing the way for the last 16,000 displaced residents to go home. Roughly 50,000 people had been forced out beginning Thursday when crews confirmed that a 34,000-gallon tank was leaking methyl methacrylate, a flammable industrial chemical. President Donald Trump signed a federal emergency declaration Sunday at U.S. Rep. Derek Tran’s urging, freeing federal resources and covering 75% of their cost.

The tank, which holds an estimated 6,500 to 7,000 gallons of the chemical, had overheated and threatened to rupture or explode. The explosion threat eased after a crack relieved the built-up pressure, while crews continued working to stabilize the tank before declaring it safe. No injuries were reported.

On Tuesday, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, who opened a criminal investigation into the company, said he is broadening the probe to include price gouging and predatory practices by attorneys. He questioned how GKN failed to prevent the crisis.

“How, when there is a failure, could that company, given its standing in the community for more than 50 years, how could it subject the community to this kind of danger?” Spitzer told NBC Los Angeles. The company reportedly paid more than $900,000 in 2025 to resolve recordkeeping, permitting and nitrogen oxide emissions violations. Residents, meanwhile, have filed a class-action lawsuit.

The crisis struck a region home to large Vietnamese American, Korean American and other Asian American communities, with evacuations extending across Garden Grove, Westminster and surrounding cities that anchor Orange County’s Little Saigon. For returning residents, air monitoring around the evacuation zone stayed within normal limits. Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the county’s top health officer, said those outside it were not expected to face any health impact.

Evacuated residents may be entitled to compensation for loss of use of their homes, living expenses and diminished property value, the law firms behind the suit said. Tran, who represents the area, is seeking accountability. “Our community is rightfully angry, and I will continue working around the clock to demand accountability from all responsible actors,” he said.

Investigation into what caused the overeating continues. An exclusion zone remains around the facility as hazmat teams monitor the tanks.