T.J. McGovern

What I'm stating, and I want to be very clear, the threat of a levee has been eliminated.

We still have threats that we're mitigating right now, but we had to get through the first one first, and we successfully did that.

Orange County Fire Authority's T.J.

McGovern says that a specialized team of first responders and subject matter experts accessed the JKN aerospace tank in Garden Grove late Saturday night to gather more data.

McGovern says evacuation orders are still in effect, but that the new information could be one step toward getting people back home.

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in the area.

For NPR News, I'm Sarah Hosseini.

This is NPR.

In a brief video statement, Orange County Fire Chief T.J.

McGovern said that firefighters had conducted a late-night reconnaissance mission.

That might sound bad, but it's actually the least bad scenario.

The tank is filled with 7,000 gallons of a chemical called methyl methacrylate.

It's highly unstable and could explode.

McGovern says the crack may be releasing pressure, which might lessen the chances of that happening.

Still, he says evacuation orders remain in place.

Some 50,000 residents of the city of Garden Grove remain displaced.

Jeff Brumfield, NPR News.

What we're doing is we are vetting and validating that information.

With this new information, it could change our trajectory and our strategy to this event.

In a brief video statement, Orange County Fire Chief T.J.