Evacuation zone reduced with threat of massive explosion eliminated at Orange County chemical tank

The temperature inside a damaged chemical storage tank in Garden Grove has been rising by about 1 degree per hour, not cooling or stabilizing as previously believed, an OCFA official said Saturday morning.

Division Chief Craig Covey of the Orange County Fire Authority, the incident commander at the scene, said a drone on Friday had measured the tank's temperature at 77 degrees. However, a subsequent reading of a gauge indicated that the container's internal temperature was 90 degrees.

In a videotaped update posted on social media, Covay said officials are allowing the tank to "cure at a slower rate and reducing its (building) overpressure."

The OCFA is also "bringing people in from all over the country trying to come up with additional options," he added.

"Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable to us," Covey said.

He added that contingency plans are being employed in case the tank blows up or leaks, and the only people currently at risk are the firefighters and police officers on scene.

City News Service contributed to this report.

The American Red Cross has established an additional shelter for those affected by the hazardous materials incident in Garden Grove, officials announced Saturday morning.

The shelter was opened at 1:30 a.m. at Oceanview High School, located at 17071 Gothard Street in Huntington Beach, the Orange County Fire Authority said.

"This will be a congregate dormitory shelter," the OCFA said in a statement, urging evacuees to bring their own medication if possible. Officials discouraged unsolicited donations at the shelter.

As of 8 a.m., no new announcements were made about the status of the overheated chemical storage tank.

"There are no scheduled press conferences today," the OCFA said in a statement on social media. "We will continue to provide incident updates throughout the day. The next scheduled update will be provided in the 9:00 hour."

More than 40,000 people are under evacuation orders as a result of the chemical tank crisis in Garden Grove.

The line of evacuated residents stretched out the door at the shelter set up at Freedom Hall in Fountain Valley.

More than 40,000 people are under evacuation orders as a result of the chemical tank crisis in Garden Grove.

Neighbors joined forces as they searched for hotel rooms after the sudden called to evacuate their Orange County homes due to the danger.

"Got a knock on the door, and I was told we were supposed to leave so I did what I was told," said Jason Reid, who went to one of the shelters.

Neighborhoods across Garden Grove, Stanton and Anaheim suddenly became ghost towns.

After rushing out in the morning, some residents like Diego Espinoza and his mother were allowed to return briefly to grab medication and other vital supplies.

"I feel like the situation has escalated very quickly," Espinoza said. "It was pretty harsh to get out of the house very quickly. We forgot a lot of stuff. That's why we came back here."

While most have heeded the warnings, some are staying behind.

Several shelters have been set up for residents and their pets, with everyone worried about how long they may be out and what could happen to their neighborhoods.

"I think that's the worst part - just waiting and not knowing what's going to happen because we all want to go home," said Jacqueline Reigos, who also had to evacuate.

A new evacuation center has been opened at John F. Kennedy High School at 8281 Walker St. in La Palma, Orange County fire officials say.

The evacuation center opens after Freedom Hall Shelter reached capacity.