在官员们表示灾难性爆炸的“最坏情况”已经避免后，南加州一个发生故障的化学储罐周围的疏散区正在缩小。
大约有16，000人仍在疏散命令之下，花园林警察局长阿米尔·艾尔·法拉在周一晚上的新闻发布会上说。这比危机最严重时加登格罗夫市和周围几个社区的5万人有所下降，当时官员们认为他们只面临两种选择:爆炸或化学品泄漏。
“最灾难性和最糟糕的情况得到缓解和解决，”奥兰治县消防局(OCFA)临时局长TJ麦戈文在晚间新闻发布会上说。
官员们周一早些时候表示，危机尚未完全避免，但如果发生爆炸或泄漏，这将远远小于最初的最坏情况。
坦克位于洛杉矶以南约30英里的加登格罗夫的一个航天设施。
周一早些时候，地方当局表示，位于一处航天设施的化学储罐内的温度正在下降，消除了爆炸的担忧。
“我们很高兴地报告，BLEVE(沸腾液体膨胀蒸汽爆炸)的威胁现在已经不存在了，”麦戈文在一次更新会上说。“这一威胁已经消除。”
据麦戈文说，由于罐内的温度下降，这使得里面的化学物质固化，但不清楚有多少。
官员们表示，情况始于周四，GKN航空航天公司一个装满有毒化学品的化学储罐出现过热迹象，这可能会导致储罐过热或泄漏。该公司是一家制造公司，为商用和军用飞机制造引擎和起落架。
据OCFA报道，这个34000加仑的容器中装有甲基丙烯酸甲酯，一种用于塑料制造的工业化学品。这种化学物质主要是一种呼吸刺激物。根据美国环保署的说法，短期暴露会导致皮肤和眼睛发炎，以及呼吸问题。
这种“前所未有”的情况导致官员下令附近约5万人撤离，以防泄漏导致有毒气体在附近飘散，或引发爆炸，导致危险的火球。
加州州长加文·纽瑟姆宣布奥兰治县进入紧急状态，以应对这一事件。
柯维说，当局表示，消防队员周六晚些时候发现的储罐裂缝减轻了储罐内的部分压力。
虽然官员们相信裂缝不会导致任何化学物质泄漏，但他们继续监测该地区的空气质量。
OCFA在周日下午的更新中表示，大约10平方英里疏散区以外的任何地区“目前被认为是完全安全的，日常活动可以正常进行”。
该区域内有学校、医院、疗养院、消防和执法站以及重要的基础设施。该地区多条道路也被封闭。
“我们感谢你的支持和耐心，我们一起度过了这个事件，”柯维说。
在周一的一份声明中，GKN指出，其技术专家与OCFA合作，在周日晚上“更密切地评估储油罐”。
该公司表示，“该团队安全成功地移除了储罐的外部绝缘材料，以帮助推进冷却其内容物的努力。”
奥兰治县地区检察官托德·斯皮策(Todd Spitzer)的办公室表示，他已经对GKN航空航天公司正在进行的化学储罐事件展开刑事调查，命令该公司不得销毁或篡改任何记录。
据地方检察官称，调查旨在确定一家主要的军用和商用飞机设备制造商如何能够允许这样的有毒故障发生。
斯皮策周一在一份声明中说:“这是一个令人难以置信的动荡局势，第一反应人员正在做出非凡的努力，以防止潜在的灾难性灾难。”。
Spitzer还建立了匿名举报热线和在线报告表格，呼吁任何有信息的人站出来，包括该公司的现任和前任员工，他们可能会对该网站的质量控制和安全提供见解。
他说:“鉴于这一事件对人类生命造成的非常真实的风险，任何知道这一事件或GKN航空航天透明系统公司工业运营信息的人站出来报告这一情况，以便执法部门进行彻底调查，这是至关重要的。”
GKN拒绝对地区检察官的调查具体置评，但指出了其周一的声明。
“我们将继续与OCFA、环保局以及所有相关的联邦、州和地方机构昼夜不停地合作，以减轻正在进行的风险投资
Evacuation zone shrinks after 'worst-case scenario' of Southern California chemical tank explosion averted, officials say
The evacuation zone around a failing chemical tank in Southern California is shrinking after officials said the "worst-case scenario" of a catastrophic explosion has been averted.
About 16,000 peopleremain under evacuation orders, Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra said during a press briefing Monday evening. That's down from50,000 in the city of Garden Grove and several surrounding communities at the height of the crisiswhen officials thought they faced only two options: an explosion or a chemical spill.
"The most catastrophic and worst-case scenario was mitigated and resolved," Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Interim Chief TJ McGovern said during the evening press briefing.
Officials said earlier Monday the crisis is not fully averted, but if an explosion or leak were to occur, it would be significantly smaller than the initial worst-case scenario.
The tank is located at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.
Earlier Monday, local authorities said the temperature was declining within the chemical tank, located at an aerospace facility, eliminating concerns of an explosion, local authorities said on Monday morning.
"We are happy to report that the threat of a BLEVE [Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion] is now off the table," McGovern said during anupdate. "That threat has been eliminated."
Since the temperature inside the tank has decreased, it has allowed the chemical inside to solidify, but it is unclear how much, according to McGovern.
The situation began unfolding on Thursday, a chemical tank filled with toxic chemicals at GKN Aerospace, a manufacturing company that builds engines and landing gear for both commercial and military aircraft, was showing signs of overheating, which could cause it to overheat or spill, officials said.
The 34,000-gallon tank contained methyl methacrylate, an industrial chemical used in plastic manufacturing, according to the OCFA. The chemical is primarily a respiratory irritant. Short-term exposure can cause skin and eye irritation, as well as breathing problems, according to the EPA.
The "unprecedented" situation caused officials to order about 50,000 people in the vicinity to evacuate in case a leak sent toxic fumes wafting through the neighborhood or caused an explosion could result in a dangerous fireball.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency in Orange County in response to the incident.
Authorities said a crack in the tank, discovered by firefighters late Saturday, relieved some of the pressure within the tank, Covey said.
While officials were confident that the crack wouldn't lead to any chemical leaks, they continued to monitor air quality in the region.
Any areas outside of the roughly 10-square-mile evacuation zone "are currently considered completely safe and day-to-day activities can continue as normal," the OCFA said in an update Sunday afternoon.
Within the zone are schools, hospitals, nursing homes, fire and law enforcement stations and critical infrastructure. Multiple roads were also closed in the area.
"We appreciate your support and the patience while we work through this incident together," Covey said.
In a statement on Monday, GKN noted that its technical specialists worked with OCFA "to assess the storage tank more closely" on Sunday evening.
"The team safely and successfully removed external insulation material from the tank in order to help advance efforts to cool its contents," the company said.
Orange County District AttorneyTodd Spitzer, the top prosecutor in Garden Grove, has launched a criminal probe into the ongoing chemical tank incident at GKN Aerospace, ordering the company not to destroy or manipulate any records, his office said.
The probe seeks to determine how a major military and commercial aircraft gear manufacturer could have allowed such a toxic failure to occur, according to the district attorney.
"This is an incredibly volatile situation with extraordinary efforts being made by first responders to prevent a potentially catastrophic disaster," Spitzer said in a statement on Monday.
Spitzer has also established an anonymous tip line andonline reporting form, calling on anyone with information to come forward -- including current and former employees of the company who might offer insight into the quality control and safety at the site.
"Given the very real risk to human life as a result of this event, it is crucial that anyone who has information about this incident or the industrial operations of GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, Inc. come forward and report it so that it can be thoroughly investigated by law enforcement," he said.
GKN declined to comment specifically on the district attorney's investigation, but pointed to its Monday statement.
"We are continuing to work around the clock with the OCFA, the EPA and all relevant federal, state and local agencies to mitigate the ongoing risk of a leak. We remain extremely thankful for their dedication and hard work," the company said.
"We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing and our priority remains its safe resolution, so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible."
