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Experts trying to prevent a tank holding a highly toxic and flammable chemical from exploding in Southern California found a "potential crack" in the container that might be reducing the pressure, a fire official said on Sunday. - REUTERS

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00:00We know you're out of your homes. We want to get you back, but we cannot do that until it's
00:05deemed safe.
00:06A fire official on Sunday said experts trying to prevent a chemical explosion in Southern California
00:12found a potential crack in the container holding toxic and flammable materials that might be reducing the pressure.
00:19Later in the evening, Interim Fire Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, T.J. McGovern, announced a new mission.
00:24We're going to be conducting a mission tonight. It'll be an all-night mission in order to confirm that the
00:31pressure in the tank has been released and that the blevy threat is eliminated.
00:37The blevy, or boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion threat, is a catastrophic explosion and the worst-case scenario, according to
00:45McGovern.
00:45Authorities have urged residents to stay out of the evacuation zone as hundreds of responders continued efforts to stabilize the
00:53site.
00:53Since Friday, officials have warned that the tank, which contains methyl methacrylate, a chemical used in plastics and manufacturing,
01:00could rupture and spill up to 7,000 gallons of toxic material or explode and endanger other tanks on the
01:07GKN Aerospace site.
01:08The incident began on Thursday as the chemical began to overheat, but efforts to neutralize the reaction failed due to
01:15damaged valves on the tank, according to fire officials.
01:18California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Orange County on Saturday, following evacuation orders for tens of
01:26thousands of people on Friday.
01:28On Sunday, Newsom said he had requested that President Donald Trump issue a federal emergency declaration to support response operations.
01:36Many residents, like insurance broker Trang Luong, say they were caught off guard.
01:40It's a chaos for the last 48 hours. Everyone has to evacuate it. And we kind of, like, don't know
01:51exactly what it will come up, like, today, tomorrow, what will happen for the chemical tank in Garden Grove.
02:00Public records show that GKN, a division of British aerospace supplier Melrose Industries, has a pattern of regulatory violations at
02:08the facility.
02:09In response to a request for comment, a GKN spokesperson declined to elaborate beyond the company's statement about the incident
02:16on its website.
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