Today's Edition
WASHINGTON (AGENCIES)
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in Orange County in response to the risk of explosion following a leak from a chemical tank in the Greater Los Angeles area.
The authorities had been mobilised for more than 24 hours and were working to contain the risk, Newsom posted on X late on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of area residents were advised to leave their homes, with some 40,000 heeding the call to spend the night in hotels, in their cars or in the emergency accommodation provided by the authorities.
The tank containing close to 130,000 litres is located on the premises of an aerospace company in Garden Grove, south-east of Los Angeles.
It contains methyl methacrylate, a toxic and flammable chemical used in the production of plastics.
