A night of fear, confusion as thousands flee their homes in O.C. amid chemical crisis

People across central Orange County fled homes because of the risk of a chemical explosion at a Garden Grove aerospace firm. Residents sought safety by going to local evacuation shelters or staying with family and friends. Families gathered at the Cypress Community Center, waiting for updates about a leaking chemical tank. Some monitored phones, while others organized belongings or rested in plastic chairs. Jude Thomas and his family were among the first evacuated after firefighters responded to an initial report about the tanks. They were briefly allowed to return, then were instructed to leave again early Friday. The leaking tank was described as likely to fail or explode in an unprecedented event, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of residents and later expanding to tens of thousands in multiple cities.

"Families evacuated from their homes milled about the lobby and parking lot of the Cypress Community Center late Friday waiting for any updates about the leaking chemical tank that sent them fleeing earlier that day. Some stayed glued to their phones. Others took inventory of the hastily packed belongings in their trunks or snoozed as comfortably as they could in plastic chairs at the evacuation site."

"Jude Thomas and his family were some of the first people evacuated on Thursday afternoon when firefighters first responded to the plant following a report of an issue with the tanks. They were briefly allowed to return to their apartment that evening, only to receive instructions to leave again early Friday. Thomas has lived less than a mile from GKN Aerospace for about six years and had never given much thought to their proximity."

"His son had raised concerns about whether it was safe to live that close to the facility shortly after they moved in, but he dismissed them, he said. "Everything will change, for sure, once this is done," Thomas said. "We will think about moving out from there.""

"A leaking chemical tank at GKN Aerospace is going to fail or explode in an "unprecedented" event that triggered evacuation orders on Friday for thousands of Orange County residents. By Friday afternoon, evacuations around the failing tank in Garden Grove expanded to include tens of thousands of residents in six Orange County ci"

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