Crack in Volatile California Chemical Tank Could Help

A crack in a Southern California chemical tank is the rare kind of problem officials are cautiously welcoming, the New York Times reports. Fire crews say a small fracture has formed in a 7,000-gallon tank of methyl methacrylate at a GKN Aerospace plant in Garden Grove, potentially easing internal pressure that has been building since Thursday and raising fears of an explosion. Interim Orange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern said the discovery "could change our trajectory and our strategy," though officials still aren't ruling out the possibility of an explosion.

The tank's temperature has climbed past 100 degrees, and experts warn of a possible "thermal runaway" that could trigger a blast. A safer scenario would be a tank failure or even rupture without an explosion, or the chemical solidifying inside the tank, which could buy time for a controlled response. No liquid is leaking from the crack, and air monitors show normal readings outside the evacuation zone, where some 50,000 residents remain displaced under a state of emergency declared by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the AP reports. Authorities say areas beyond the zone are "completely safe," but they're urging evacuees not to return until they give the all-clear.