Federal agents search Garden Grove aerospace plant in chemical probe

Federal agents executed a search warrant Wednesday at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove as investigators probe possible safety violations linked to last month's toxic chemical tank crisis, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

The search comes weeks after a tank holding 6,500 gallons of methyl methacrylate overheated and nearly detonated at the plant, forcing tens of thousands of Orange County residents to evacuate. Affected residents have since filed a class action lawsuit against the company.

Federal agents arrived Wednesday morning at GKN Aerospace's Garden Grove facility to execute the search warrant, as authorities examine what may have caused a hazardous chemical emergency at the site last month, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The investigation centers on a tank that held 6,500 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a highly toxic industrial chemical, which overheated and became structurally unstable at the plant, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Officials said at the time that the tank would either explode or spill its contents — with both outcomes considered unavoidable.

The tank ultimately cracked under mounting internal pressure, venting the material and averting what officials described as a potential BLEVE — a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion — ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Such events can generate destructive fireballs and shockwaves capable of causing widespread damage.

The incident forced tens of thousands of residents in neighborhoods surrounding the aerospace plant in northwestern Orange County to evacuate their homes.

Residents impacted by the emergency have since filed a class action lawsuit against GKN Aerospace, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Federal investigators are continuing to examine what caused the methyl methacrylate to overheat uncontrollably inside the tank.

The Garden Grove facility is located in northwestern Orange County. Federal investigators have not disclosed a timeline for completing the probe.