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GARDEN GROVE, Calif. -- About 16,000 people remain under evacuation orders in Southern California as an overheated chemical tank still poses a risk to homes closest to the site, and officials Tuesday gave no word yet on when they might be able to return home.
The crisis forced 50,000 people to evacuate in and around the Orange County city of Garden Grove last week. A crack that formed by chance on the tank relieved pressure and helped avert a catastrophic explosion, allowing most evacuees to return home over the Memorial Day weekend.
But the risk of a smaller explosion or potential spill kept orders in place for about a third of the evacuees. Many are living out of hotel rooms, tents, emergency shelters at schools or staying with family or friends.
Isabel Mendez was among those still waiting to return to her mobile home. She said she broke out in a rash on her face and developed tingling lips and a sore throat while evacuating last week. After spending several expensive nights in a hotel, she is now staying with her mother in the Los Angeles area.
She remains uncertain about returning home because she does not trust official assurances that the area is safe.
"Of course it is still dangerous," she said.
Exposure to methyl methacrylate -- a highly flammable chemical used to make plastics -- can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological problems and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The tank at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, which makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields, contains 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of the chemical.
"We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing and our priority remains its safe resolution," the company said, "so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible."
Crews at the California plant worked overnight to ensure two nearby tanks were neutralized and would not be affected by the compromised tank, Orange County Fire Capt. Brian Yau said.
The tank overheated because a valve on the cooling system failed, fire officials said.
"That's what kept it at 50 degrees," or 10 degrees Celsius, said TJ McGovern, interim chief of the Orange County Fire Authority.
"Due to that failure, the tank went into the heating-up process because it wasn't continuing to be chilled," he said at a news conference Monday evening.
Crews sprayed water on the tank until the interior temperature stabilized to 92 F, down from 100 F over the weekend, the fire department said Tuesday. The hoses put out 1,250 gallons a minute over five days, which meant they used about 9 million gallons of water.
The sprinkler system at the facility continues to douse the tank, and the company said its technical specialists and firefighters removed insulation from the tank to help cool it.
Fire officials also tested storm drain water and found it was clean, McGovern said.
"There was no contamination," Orange County Health Director Regina Chinsio-Kwong said at a Monday news conference. "You should feel comfortable going home even if you're across the street from that new zone line."