Threat of massive explosion in Garden Grove 'eliminated' but danger remains, officials say

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The threat of a massive explosion from a ruptured tank in Garden Grove was eliminated Monday, but Orange County Fire Authority officials stopped short of allowing thousands of evacuated residents to return home due to lingering fears of a toxic chemical release.As of Monday afternoon, an estimated 50,000 residents remained under an evacuation order as the crisis at the facility, GKN Aerospace, spilled into its fourth day.

“They have no idea when we’re gonna go home,” Jessica Doughty, 31, said Monday, three days after she and her fiancée were ordered to leave their Stanton home.“We’re sitting here in the unknown ...

I just want to go home.I miss my bed,” said Doughty, who was staying at a Red Cross shelter in Anaheim.

Orange County officials said they were evaluating whether it was safe to reduce the evacuation zone to allow some of the displaced residents to go home.Concerns remained that an explosion at the aerospace plant in Garden Grove was still possible, fire officials said.

Earlier in the day, there was good news for the crews who have been working around the clock to contain the situation.Orange County Fire Authority officials announced they were no longer worried about a worst-case scenario of a catastrophic explosion resulting from a breach of the tank, releasing toxic chemicals over a wide area.TJ McGovern, interim chief of the Fire Authority, said firefighters had gained confidence the pressurized tank would not experience a “boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion,” or BLEVE.“The threat of a BLEVE has been eliminated,” McGovern said, but added: “We still have threats that we are mitigating.” Separately, President Trump authorized federal disaster assistance to help cover the costs of coordinating the response effort.“We are grateful for the federal government approving our request and helping strengthen the resources already on the gro...