Orange County prosecutors have launched an investigation into the aerospace company at the center of the Garden Grove chemical scare that forced tens of thousands from their homes as crews scrambled to stop a possible explosion.
Calling the unfolding crisis “horrific,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced late Saturday that his office has launched an investigation into GKN Aerospace and the overheating chemical tank that triggered the massive evacuation.
“It is certainly unreasonable to believe that any responsible defense contractor that makes aircraft windows and uses volatile chemicals in the process would have failures of its cooling system that maintains the safety level of its chemicals,” Spitzer said in an interview with the Orange County Register.
“There will be incredible costs associated with this situation and I’m going to be front and center in making sure people are made whole.”
The DA’s office also opened a hotline for workers or insiders who may know what went wrong behind the scenes at the plant.
Prosecutors are seeking information about operations inside the facility, including how often the tanks and safety systems were maintained — and whether warning signs were ignored before the dangerous malfunction.
Tipsters were urged to contact the OCDA anonymous hotline, email prosecutors, or submit information online.
Spitzer spent part of Saturday at the unified command center as first responders monitored the unstable chemical tank, which remained at risk of exploding. Authorities were also working with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to gather drone footage and close-up images of the facility’s tanks and cooling systems.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday afternoon after the danger zone surround the site ballooned into a nearly 10-square-mile area stretching across Garden Grove, Anaheim, Stanton, Cypress, Buena Park and Westminster.