Gavin Newsom, governor of California, declared a state of emergency in Orange County due to the risk that a huge tank containing chemicals capable of affecting an area of ​​26 square kilometers in the city of Garden Grove could explode.

The problem began Thursday, when Orange County firefighters responded to a call about a leak at the GKN aerospace manufacturing company in Garden Grove.

Upon arriving at the site, they detected the release of steam in a 34,000-gallon tank that contained methyl methacrylate, a compound used in the manufacture of plastics.

From that moment on, together with the support of the police, various options have been sought to contain the leak, but the situation, far from improving, has worsened because the valve that opens and closes the container is stuck.

Since last night, numerous fire crews have not stopped pumping water on the enormous, superheated, pressurized and bulging container, as it is located next to three other smaller, but no less harmless, containers.

Faced with the possibility of an explosion in Orange, through a statement, Democrat Newsom asked that 50,000 people evacuate the area and go to places where they can stay out of danger.

"The safety of Orange County residents is the top priority. We are mobilizing all available state resources to support local emergency services and ensure the community has what they need to stay safe," part of the letter states.

So far, the concern is that a leak of 7,000 gallons of chemicals will occur, which would spread quickly causing serious damage, but the most lethal scenario is that the tank at risk explodes and generates a dangerous fireball.

The area in danger is densely populated and hence the order from the state leader to evacuate it early and in an orderly manner.

Based on the experience of other events that he has had to face, Craig Covey, division chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, spoke of two possible scenarios that could arise in the coming hours, but in both cases neither is pleasant.

"There are literally two options left: one, that the tank fails and spills between 6,000 and 7,000 gallons of very dangerous chemicals in the area's parking lot; or two, that the tank suffers an uncontrolled thermal reaction and explodes, also affecting nearby tanks that contain fuel or chemicals," he said during an update on the dangerous situation facing Garden Grove.