Having endured a turbulent weekend of evacuations prompted by a chemical scare, hundreds of Garden Grove residents packed the city’s Council Chambers on Tuesday night, May 26, to make clear their mounting outrage and concerns and to demand answers from elected officials and the company at the center of it all.
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As residents and businesses were looking ahead to the long Memorial Day weekend, an overheating chemical storage tank at GKN Aerospace in West Garden Grove containing methyl methacrylate instead triggered evacuation orders Friday for some 50,000 people as emergency crews sought to thwart a chemical reaction officials warned could prompt either a catastrophic blast or thousands of gallons of hazardous material spilling.
Orange County Fire Authority Chief Craig Covey gives an update about the department’s past and current efforts to mitigate the ongoing hazmat incident in Garden Grove during a public meeting at the Community Meeting Center in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Members of the public listen to an update from city officials about the ongoing hazmat incident that has displaced thousands of residents from their homes during community meeting in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Garden Grove City Manager Lisa Kim gives updates about the ongoing hazmat incident at GKN Aerospace that has displaced tens of thousands of residents at the Community Meeting Center in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein welcomes members of the public to a community meeting about the ongoing hazmat incident at GKN Aerospace that has displaced tens of thousands of residents at the Community Meeting Center in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra gives an update about police operations, including the arrests of several bad actors within the evacuation zone, during a community meeting about the city’s ongoing hazmat incident at Community Meeting Center in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
While the emergency response quelled the threat of a violent explosion as of Monday night, 16,000 residents, largely from the city of Stanton, were still unable to return home until all evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday evening, with fire and county health officials saying the threat of a smaller blast or chemical leak still loomed.
“We know it’s a stressful and deeply disruptive experience,” Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein said during Tuesday’s meeting, at which city and Orange County officials gave an update on the situation.
“Some families had to leave their homes with very little notice. Some businesses had to close. Employees lost work hours. Parents had to explain to their children why they couldn’t go home,” she said. “Many people have (been) anxious, angry and uncertain about what comes next.”
Throughout the weekend, displaced residents and community leaders expressed outrage, some joining lawsuits against GKN Aerospace and pressing their elected officials to act, some saying there were “more questions than answers” regarding the incident.
Tuesday night, community members asked similar questions about the handling of the evacuations, preparations for such emergencies and why the industrial use was allowed so close to homes and schools.
“Are there other companies in our area with similar dangers in our community?” asked Sandi Ishii, a retired principal with the Garden Grove Unified School District.
Community members also raised concerns about the sheltering of those displaced and some said communication was confusing and people didn’t know what to plan for. There were also reports that some residents experienced price gouging.
“We’re seeing that the city, county and state have embarrassingly failed to meet the needs of those evacuated, to the community as a whole,” Garden Grove resident Nathan Tran said.
The “lack of centralized, clear communication; crowded shelters, not nearly anywhere the amount of beds for those displaced; the cost of travel; being turned away from shelters. The cost of hotels eating at the pockets of already struggling, working families,” Tran said, “This failure to meet the needs of tens of thousands of county residents does not go well for any sort of emergency response.”
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Cities are just starting to get a handle on the costs associated with the crisis, including fire and police department costs and strains on city resources. As of Monday, May 25, the city of Garden Grove “reported approximately $728,000 in incident-related costs to OCFA,” city spokesperson Jonathan Garcia said in an emailed statement.
“This amount remains preliminary and is subject to change as additional information becomes available,” Garcia said, adding the figure did not include the cost of supplies, materials, vehicle-related expenses or the 1,250 gallons of water per minute that were being sprayed onto the overheating tank for nearly five days before officials removed the hose.
As for which agency would inherit the bill for the approximately 9 million gallons of water, Garcia said, “That’s one of the unknowns. We just don’t know at this point.”
Earlier in the afternoon, Rep. Derek Tran, whose district includes the evacuated neighborhoods, held a community meeting and resource fair at Cal State Fullerton.
Tran, D-Orange, reiterated his call for state and federal investigation and accountability once the crisis has been averted.
“I know many of you are frustrated and angry, and I share those feelings wholeheartedly,” Tran told the dozens of attendants at the meeting. “You all deserve answers for how it all happened. Accountability matters.”
OCFA interim Fire Chief TJ McGovern was at the community meeting and urged residents still in the remaining evacuation zone on Tuesday to stay cautious, explaining that though the threat of a larger-scale explosion had been eliminated, the risk of fire and a potential spill remained.
“I know it’s a challenge for all of you to be displaced … but we cannot allow you to go home if there’s still a fire risk out there,” McGovern said. “We’re working diligently 24/7 to get you back home.”
At the resource fair after the meeting, county officials set up booths around the conference room, as well as a handful of law firms. Todd Becker, senior trial attorney at the Becker Law Group, said his firm had already received inquiries from more than 200 people impacted by the evacuation order, including many business owners looking to recoup lost income.
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