Gavin Newsom Declares State of Emergency in Orange County

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in Orange County in response to an ongoing chemical incident at an aerospace facility.

Experts are warning that a 34,000-gallon chemical tank, which has been overheating since Thursday, could explode with disastrous results to the region.

Authorities say the tank is on a path to inevitable failure and will either spill thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals everywhere or, worse yet, explode.

We covered the situation in-depth here:

DEVELOPING: ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ at Aerospace Facility, Officials Fear Massive Explosion

Evacuations have been taking place since Thursday, but some residents are refusing to leave.

Newsom announced the state of emergency on Saturday afternoon and encouraged people to comply with authorities:

I’m proclaiming a state of emergency in Orange County as California continues to respond to the hazardous chemical incident in Garden Grove.@Cal_OES has been mobilized for over 24 hours and state agencies are supporting impacted communities to protect public safety, and assist… pic.twitter.com/pOLZWkX0vD

— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) May 23, 2026

I’m proclaiming a state of emergency in Orange County as California continues to respond to the hazardous chemical incident in Garden Grove.

@Cal_OES has been mobilized for over 24 hours and state agencies are supporting impacted communities to protect public safety, and assist local officials as response efforts continue.

Please continue to follow guidance from emergency officials.

The chemical tank is full of methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable and can cause serious respiratory issues if breathed in.

The Orange County Register explained more about the health effects this toxic chemical could have:

In the short term, methyl methacrylate causes respiratory irritation, but little is known about the long-term effects of the substance on humans, Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong said at a news conference Friday.

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“What we know in terms of human health is that we have very limited case reports of exposure and when you have limited short-term exposure, meaning maybe you inhaled some of the vapor, it can cause significant irritation in the lungs, the nasal passages and it can also cause nausea, it can also cause dizziness,” she said. “At very high levels, it can really cause severe respiratory distress and hospitalization and this is where we really need everybody to heed all of the evacuation orders.”

Long-term consequences include effects on other organs, she said. Various animals have been affected differently, she said. Long-term human effects are not exactly known, but effects seen in mice could be seen in humans, she added. She is working with Environmental Protection Agency and the South Coast AQMD to provide more information.

The only silver lining in all this is that fire authorities have discovered a crack in the leaking tank, which means some pressure is being alleviated.

This significantly reduces the risk of the worst-case explosion scenario.

It's still not an ideal situation, but a toxic leak would not be as disastrous as an explosion, which could impact surrounding buildings in the blast radius.

The Los Angeles Times has the latest update on the situation:

Emergency crews in Orange County faced a fourth day of trying to secure a bulging, pressurized tank loaded with 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate.

Officials exhibited some optimism on Sunday. Local fire authorities said a crack in the damaged chemical tank might help, and the EPA chief said a “low volume release” of the chemicals seemed possible.

Experts were brought in Saturday to “think completely outside the box” to help resolve the crisis, which has proved incredibly difficult due to a phenomenon known as a “thermal runaway” reaction, where the chemical generates its own uncontrollable heat, threatening either a massive toxic leak or a catastrophic explosion.

Evacuations around the failing tank in Garden Grove expanded to include tens of thousands of residents in six Orange County cities: Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster.

The Orange County Fire Authority also released a video update on the ongoing efforts to manage the emergency:

***CRITICAL INCIDENT UPDATE*** pic.twitter.com/YK2WhSPhNo

— OCFA (@OCFireAuthority) May 24, 2026

Gov. Newsom has also asked President Trump to step in and send federal help.

Per CBS News:

After he proclaimed a state of emergency in Orange County on Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he requested that President Trump issue an Emergency Declaration. The action would activate FEMA to direct federal assistance at the scene and allow federal funding to flow in.

"California doesn't wait for disaster to unfold, we act early to protect lives and communities," Newsom said. "Working together with our local and federal partners, we're strengthening our ability to respond quickly and effectively in Garden Grove and across the surrounding communities and ensuring that first responders have the resources they need to keep people safe."

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The action differs from a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration in that it comes as a preemptive measure, rather than as a response to a disaster that's already caused damage. It's not yet clear if Mr. Trump will grant the request.

After Newsom's request, Democratic U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and Orange County Rep. Derek Tran, co-signed a letter to Trump urging him to approve the state's request for a Federal Emergency Declaration.

"The severity of this disaster requires additional coordination and federal support," said part of the letter. "The safety, security, and well-being of evacuated residents and the surrounding communities remain my absolute highest priority."