Jordan Running

Rising pressures in a tank of a chemical used in plastic manufacturing raised alarms last week as the pressure and temperature in the tank rose.

On Friday, the Orange County Fire Authority warned the tank was expected to either explode or spill toxic chemicals into the community.

Nearly 50,000 residents were ordered to evacuate the area, and Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.

But over the weekend, a leak in the tank brought down the pressure, and Fire Chief T.J.

McGovern says there is no longer a risk of a large explosion.

We are happy to report that the threat of a blevy is now off the table.

That threat has been eliminated.

They say there is no active leak of chemicals, but evacuation orders remain in place.

For NPR News, I'm Jordan Running in Cypress, California.

There's still a risk of this leak, this toxic chemical that's methyl methacrylate.

And they're still on the lookout for that.

They're collecting data to see whether this is still going to be a threat.