Lieff Cabraser is investigating multiple reports of GKN Aerospace’s high-risk chemical tank integrity failure and leak in Garden Grove, California that began on Thursday, May 21 in Orange County. Authorities have carried out the evacuation of 50,000 people in the wake of the 7,000-gallon methyl methacrylate tank’s imminent rupture or explosive failure.

Craig Covey, a division chief for the Orange County Fire Authority, warned the tank at GKN Aerospace containing 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, or MMA, was going to leak or explode. Either outcome would be “catastrophic,” Covey warned. MMA can cause severe respiratory problems, Orange County’s chief healthcare officer warned, and the spilled chemical would damage the local environment. Covey said if the tank explodes, it would create a “fireball” in the surrounding residential community.

If you or your family or business have had to evacuate, or lost business because of the evacuations, we recommend you reach out today to an environmental hazard lawyer at Lieff Cabraser to talk about your case and potential recovery.

The national planitiffs’ law firm Lieff Cabraser has successfully challenged those responsible for environmental harm from toxic spills and accidents for over 30 years, from the 1992 Southern Pacific Railroad Spill through the Exxon Valdez spill, the BP Gulf Oil Explosion and Spill, multiple utility-caused fires throughout California, and water contamination cases like Camp Lejeune, Benton Harbor, and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe PFAS Contamination Litigation. Our firm had a leadership role in the litigation over the 2023 East Palestine train wreck, which resulted in the largest settlement in U.S. history for a train derailment, and also serves in a leadership role in the current Bio-Lab fire/toxic release litigation. We also served in leadership positions in litigation over the natural gas blowout in Porter ranch in 2015-2016, the Santa Barbara oil spill in 2015, and the Orange County oil spill in 2021.

Our work on behalf of those harmed by environmental disasters and toxic spills has recovered over $14 billion in judgments and settlements. Reach out to us today.