It was supposed to be Memorial Day weekend headlined by a berry-themed parade and graduation parties. Instead, the city of Garden Grove is partially deserted with the looming threat of a toxic cloud.
A malfunctioning chemical storage tank containing methyl methacrylate, a flammable and volatile toxic used in plastic manufacturing at GKN Aerospace in Western Garden Grove, triggered evacuation orders for more than 40,000 and thwarted a city’s plans for what otherwise was intended to be a lively weekend.
M.J. Heasley greets his dog, Buster, who spent about 16 hours alone because Heasley couldn’t get into the Garden Grove evacuation area yesterday. He used an ebike to quickly zip in on Saturday, May 23, 2026, feed the dog and take him out of the area. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Oscar Maye keeps his daughters, Lucia, 2, left and Violetta, 4, entertained at the Savanna High School shelter in Anaheim on Saturday, May 23, 2026. They were displaced from their home and spent the night there. Maye said the family, including his wife, and bulldog, Ladybird, had a comfortable stay but will be spending the next night at a relative’s house. The potential of a chemical explosion from a malfunctioning tank at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove caused the evacuation of 40,000 people. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Members of Christ Breaks Chains church pray outside Savanna High School in Anaheim on Saturday, May 23, 2026 where dozens of people spent the night after being evacuated from their homes. The potential of a chemical explosion from a malfunctioning tank at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove caused the evacuation of surrounding communities while officials figure out their next move. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jim and Jan Stout walked into their Stanton neighborhood on Saturday, May 23, to retrieve new clothing, water and snacks for their evacuation situation. They are staying at a nearby hotel and are expecting to be hunkered down there as authorities figure out what to do about a malfunctioning tank at an aerospace plant in nearby Garden Grove. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
M.J. Heasley zips into a deserted evacuation zone in Garden Grove on Saturday, May 23, 2026 to feed his dog, Buster, in Garden Grove on Saturday, May 23, 2026. The husky spent the night alone but Heasley was planning on taking Buster with him. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Gallo, an emotional support cat for a Marine veteran who asked not to be named, is taken to his car to be fed in Anaheim on Saturday, May 23, 2026. They were part of dozens who stayed at Savanna High School after being displaced from their homes during a Hazmat evacuation. A tank containing a flammable, volatile chemical malfunctioned at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove and surrounding communities were evacuated as officials figure out what to do. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Danna Todelo is a Subway employee whose workplace on the corner of Lampson Avenue and Beach Boulevard sits within a mile from the compromised chemical tank. Todelo planned to work through the three-day weekend. But as of Saturday, May 23, Todelo was unsure when she’d see her next paycheck.
“I never miss a day because the money goes towards everything that I need, including rent,” Todelo said. “There are so many things to be scared about.”
Todelo and many residents of Orange County’s 5th most populous city, known for its diverse population, are in a holding pattern, unsure of when they could return to their communities and left bracing for the repercussions of a chemical reaction that could potentially unleash a fireball and chemical plume — or crack as 7,000 gallons of chemicals pour out.
M.J. Heasley, owner of Airborne Assembly in Garden Grove, was biking down a deserted street with a Ziploc bag of dog food in hand. He was headed to his office, located less than a mile from the GKN plant, where his Husky, Buster, was.
He had been evacuated Thursday, and then again on Friday. While he and his employees had been working, they started to receive calls from customers saying they couldn’t get to the business. Heasley said he doesn’t know if Buster will have to stay at the office until the orders are lifted, because he currently doesn’t have anywhere else to take him.
The annual Strawberry Festival, Garden Grove’s biggest event, usually draws about 250,000 at Village Green Park on Main Street over the celebration’s four-day course. This year, the festival continued but took a blow, with officials postponing the Strawberry Stomp 5K and parade, which usually showcases community spirit and guest celebrities.
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“Traffic is lighter than usual,” festival organizer and Garden Grove resident Jeff Sanders said Saturday afternoon. “So many people are displaced. I’m sure the last thing on their mind is, `let’s go to a carnival.’”
The festival is scheduled to continue through Monday.
Viri Morales, a lifelong Garden Grove resident, planned to enjoy the long weekend at the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival that kicked off Friday. Instead, she spent her Friday afternoon evacuating her home — just less than 1.5 miles north of the GKN plant — with her daughter, son, granddaughter and two cats Friday afternoon to stay at an Embassy Suites hotel across town.
Morales, a behavioral interventionist at Brookhurst Elementary, said there are more questions than answers about the situation unfolding in her hometown.
Among them: “Are kids at (Garden Grove Unified School District) still going to have graduation? What about all the promotions for Alamitos (Intermediate School) and Bell (Intermediate School)? What’s going to happen?”
“Our kids have already been through so much trauma because of COVID-19, because of the (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids that are going on,” Morales said. “There are just so many things.”
This Memorial Day weekend, Morales and her family are “still spending time together, but not in the way we would have hoped.”
“Instead of barbecuing and having laughs, we are stressing out,” she said. “You can’t really enjoy or celebrate anything.”
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