GKN Aerospace Evacuates Up To 50,000 Residents After Methyl Methacrylate Tank Overheats in Garden Grove

A chemical emergency at a GKN Aerospace plant in Garden Grove, California, forced the evacuation of up to 50,000 residents over the weekend after a 7,000-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate began overheating uncontrollably.

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The Intercept reported that the Garden Grove facility manufactures the acrylic bubble known as a transparency canopy for the F-35 fighter jet cockpit, and it said the chemical leak threatened to explode.

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Orange County Fire Authority officials suspected a cooling system failed, raising the risk of an explosion and necessitating the evacuation, and the Los Angeles Times said the worst-case scenario was avoided and people were allowed to return home.

The Los Angeles Times also said the tank threatened to overheat and that the risk of fire or flash fire could spread across many city blocks, with dozens of homes, an elementary school and businesses in a potential blast damage zone.

The Intercept added that the Garden Grove plant brought in more than $13 million since 2017 in subcontracts with Lockheed Martin, according to an analysis of federal contract data conducted by the Palestinian Youth Movement and independently verified by The Intercept.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called the situation “irresponsible” and “horrific,” and the Struggle article said a catastrophic explosion was averted only by a crack in the tank that appeared to relieve pressure.

Caleb Marker, a partner at Zimmerman Reed, said in a statement, “Fifty thousand people were told to leave their homes,” and the Los Angeles Times described the case as alleging negligence in maintaining the facility.

Los Angeles Times

Sofia Awaida, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement and a Garden Grove resident who was evacuated, said at a press conference in the city on Tuesday, “While GKN chases contracts and profits, our community pays the price with school closures and disrupted livelihoods.”

The Intercept quoted John Ramming Chappell, advocacy and legal advisor at Center for Civilians in Conflict, saying, “This is the same type of aircraft that the Israeli military has used to kill civilians and violate international humanitarian law.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that GKN Aerospace faces class-action lawsuits and questions over negligence after the evacuation of roughly 50,000 residents for days, and it said thousands of evacuated residents still were not able to return to their homes after the tank overheated.

“A significant chemical leak at a military contractor’s facility in Southern California has led to the evacuation of up to 50,000 residents over the weekend”

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The Intercept said the Palestinian Youth Movement led a coalition that launched a campaign seeking the closure of GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove facility, and it described demands for a citywide moratorium on military manufacturing contracts and expansion permits.

The Struggle article said the plant has not been shut down and that the Pentagon contracts continue, while it also described the incident as beginning May 21 when the methyl methacrylate tank began overheating uncontrollably.

The Los Angeles Times added that GKN Aerospace is a division of Melrose Industries, a U.K.-based aerospace company, and it reported that the overall group employed 13,844 people at the end of 2025, including around 500 people at the Garden Grove facility.

The Los Angeles Times also quoted Richard Aboulafia, managing director at aerospace consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory, saying, “It’s become this,” in the context of concerns that disruptions could ripple through the aerospace supply chain if GKN’s production lines are not restored.