Federal agents executed a search warrant Wednesday at a southern California aerospace manufacturer where an overheated chemical tank triggered the evacuation of 50,000 residents in May, raising fresh questions about safety protocols at the facility.
The FBI descended on GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems in Garden Grove, Orange County, armed with a warrant signed by a federal judge the previous week. The search focused on records related to the storage, use, and disposal of methyl methacrylate, the highly flammable liquid that authorities feared could explode from the overheated tank.
GKN Aerospace, a UK-based manufacturer of cockpit windows and aircraft canopies, has drawn scrutiny from multiple agencies. The Orange County district attorney's office is conducting its own criminal investigation and has barred the company from modifying or destroying evidence.
The May incident centered on a tank containing between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a chemical used in producing plastics, coatings, and materials like Plexiglas. The EPA warns that exposure to the substance can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological damage, and burns to skin, eyes, and throat.
Residents first reported the tank overheating on May 21, and evacuation orders went out the following day as emergency crews raced to prevent a catastrophic explosion. The crisis ended when a crack formed in the tank, releasing pressure and averting disaster. Most evacuees returned home by Memorial Day weekend.
The warrant authorized agents to seize samples of the chemical from any tank or container at the facility, as well as records on cooling systems and temperature control equipment used for the methyl methacrylate.
At a community meeting Tuesday, GKN Senior Vice-President Steve Carlin apologized to Garden Grove residents for the disruption and acknowledged the company's deep ties to the community. When asked whether the company would relocate the chemical tanks, Carlin said it was premature to make that decision while the investigation remained ongoing.
Since the incident, about a dozen evacuees and businesses have filed lawsuits against GKN. Some residents reported lingering symptoms including respiratory irritation, headaches, and dizziness, though Orange County health officials said no contamination or fumes were released and committed to monitoring air quality for several months.
The Garden Grove emergency was the first of two major chemical disasters on the West Coast that week. Five days later, a tank at a paper mill in Longview, Washington, ruptured and imploded, killing 11 people.
Author James Rodriguez: "This FBI search suggests the May scare wasn't just bad luck but potentially the result of negligence, and regulators will be digging hard to determine what GKN knew and when they knew it."
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