EPA Head Says Southern California Chemical Tank Likely ‘Will Fail’

Tens of thousands of people are under evacuation in Garden Grove, in Orange County.

Water is sprayed on a tank that overheated at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove, Calif., on May 22, 2026. Ethan Swope/AP Photo

The head of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said Sunday that a chemical storage tank in Southern California that has forced officials to declare an emergency and prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands residents is likely to fail.

Initially, officials said that 40,000 people were ordered to evacuate on Friday, namely in the Orange County city of Garden Grove. That number had risen to 50,000 by Sunday.