FBI seizing evidence at California plant where chemical tank overheated
and forced evacuations
[June 11, 2026]
By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and MARTHA BELLISLE
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities served a search warrant on
Wednesday at a Southern California aerospace facility where a chemical
tank overheated last month, forcing 50,000 residents to evacuate because
authorities feared a catastrophic explosion.
The warrant signed by a federal judge last week approved the seizure of
documents and records related to the “storage, use, or disposal” of
methyl methacrylate, the chemical inside the affected tank.
“Samples of the substance within any tank, tote, drum, vat, vessel, or
container suspected of containing or having previously contained methyl
methacrylate and/or any hazardous substance” were also sought, according
to the warrant.
The warrant also orders agents to seize records related to “any cooling
equipment or other equipment used to control or regulate the temperature
of methyl methacrylate.”
The FBI confirmed its agents were searching GKN Aerospace Transparency
Systems in the Orange County city of Garden Grove. Multiple vehicles and
several federal agents were seen outside the facility Wednesday morning.
Company says it's cooperating with authorities
GKN Aerospace makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields. The tank
that overheated contained 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500
liters) of methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable. The liquid is
used in the manufacturing of plastics and coatings, such as Plexiglas
and dental prosthetics.
Exposure to the chemical can cause serious respiratory problems,
neurological issues and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat,
according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The chemical that overheated is still in the holding tank, according to
the Orange County Health Care Agency, which is leading the site cleanup
and waste removal efforts.
The agency had planned to pump the neutralized methyl methacrylate from
the storage tanks into sealed trucks for transport and disposal starting
at the end of last week, according to a press release on the agency’s
website. But on Friday, they said the removal didn’t happen “due to
unavailable resources.”
Once a new date is confirmed, they will provide advance notice to the
community.
Responding to a request for comment on the FBI investigation, a GKN
spokesperson told the AP on Wednesday morning: “We are cooperating with
authorities at our Garden Grove facility and will continue to do so.”
GKN Aerospace’s Steve Carlin spoke at a community meeting Tuesday
evening. He thanked the firefighters and local leaders who responded to
the incident at the plant that employs more than 500 people, and
apologized to the community.
“On behalf of GKN and the Garden Grove plant I want to say that I’m
sorry that this event and this incident occurred. I understand and I
realized sitting here tonight what a disruptive event it was and how
unsettling it is to the greater community. Particularly unsettling to us
at GKN because of the long history that we have with Garden Grove and
how connected we are to this community.”
Garden Grove city leaders and residents urged GKN Aerospace to consider
moving these tanks of methyl methacrylate off of the Garden Grove plant,
so the chemical would be far away from residents and businesses. But
Carlin said it is very early in the investigation into what happened, so
it is too soon to decide what the company might do in response to the
incident. He promised to be transparent with the community about the
investigation.
[to top of second column]
|
Ariel view of the chemical tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove,
Calif. on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/William Liang)
Overheating tank risked a catastrophic explosion
The incident was reported on May 21 and evacuations began the next
day. The tank overheated because a valve on the cooling system that
kept it at 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) failed,
officials said.
Crews sprayed water on the tank until the interior temperature
stabilized to 92 F (33.3 C), down from 100 F (37.7 C). A sprinkler
system was used to douse the tank, and the company said its
technical specialists and firefighters removed insulation from the
tank to help cool it.
A crack that formed by chance on the tank relieved pressure and
helped avert a catastrophic explosion, allowing most evacuees to
return home over the Memorial Day weekend. Authorities announced
they were lifting the final orders after the temperature on the tank
remained stable for four hours without intervention from sprinklers.
Separately, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office also is
conducting a criminal investigation into the GKN Aerospace plant,
according to DA spokesperson Kimberly Edds.
“We have sent a preservation letter to GKN directing them not to
modify or destroy any evidence, which the company’s outside counsel
confirmed receipt,” Edds told The Associated Press in an email.
Lawyers in federal lawsuits welcome the FBI's involvement
About a dozen people and businesses that were among the 50,000
evacuated during the chemical emergency have filed lawsuits against
the company. Some residents reported strong odors, respiratory
irritation, headaches and dizziness. They question why the chemical
plant was allowed to operate so close to homes.
Lawyer Rickard McCune represents Big Rob’s Pizzeria and Fruit
Caboose Concessions in a federal lawsuit claiming GKN Aerospace and
parent company Melrose Industries were negligent and put the
surrounding communities at risk. He said they’re pleased the federal
government is investigating. The FBI’s involvement will help bring
justice to those who were harmed, he said.
Another lawyer, Alex Wheeler, represents Dinh Tran and Drippys
Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches and said they’re relieved that the FBI
is using its resources to investigate potential criminal acts.
“As more information becomes public, it’s becoming clearer and
clearer that the risk to our community posed by GKN’s operation of
the Garden Grove facility may require a long term and lasting
solution,” Wheeler said.
GKN did not immediately respond to the allegations in the lawsuits.
Orange County health officials assured residents that no
contamination or fumes were released, and that they would keep
monitoring the air for several months and checking the sewer and
storm drains.
The California incident was the first of two major hazardous
chemical emergencies on the West Coast within a week of each other.
Five days after the GKN Aerospace situation began, a large tank
containing a corrosive chemical at a Longview, Washington paper mill
ruptured and imploded, killing 11 people.
___
Bellisle reported from Seattle. Associated Press journalist Josh
Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
