Extra eyes on a risky chemical tank in California

Fire crews in Orange County got lucky over the weekend when they spotted what looks like a narrow split in the side of a big storage tank holding 7, 000 gallons of methyl methacrylate. That flammable goop is used to make the clear plastic windows you see in airplane canopies and TV screens. The split may be letting gas escape gradually instead of building up until the whole thing blows sky-high. For now that’s good news, but officials aren’t celebrating. They still don’t know if the crack is wide enough to do more good than harm. It could be slowing the pressure just enough to avoid an explosion today, while tomorrow it might grow and spill the stuff instead.

The tank started heating up Friday—about one degree every hour—until it hit 90 °F. Keeping it below 85 °F now tops the to-do list so the liquid inside doesn’t thicken and push harder against the walls. Firefighters are spraying water to cool it, and teams are practicing how to quickly dam or redirect any leak before it hits the nearest storm drain. Garden Grove residents have been told to stay away until they’re absolutely sure the air is clean. So far the sniffing machines haven’t caught even a whiff of escaped vapor. Behind the scene is an aerospace plant that makes airplane windows. One tiny spark in that mess and you’d have fireworks no one ordered. California’s governor declared an emergency just to speed up money and manpower, but he didn’t say why a facility that has handled this chemical for years is suddenly this close to a meltdown. Experts are slowly emptying the math: if the crack keeps growing, they’ll have to pump the liquid into a safer container. If it stays the same, they’ll keep a close watch and pray no earthquake jogs the tank the wrong way.

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