Federal authorities searched the Southern California aerospace facility June 10 where a chemical tank nearly suffered a catastrophic explosion last month, displacing tens of thousands of nearby residents for several days.
FBI agents and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspectors conducted the search as part of an ongoing investigation at GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, located in Orange County, California, the FBI confirmed with The Epoch Times.
Investigators planned to seize evidence and other items related to the release of methyl methacrylate or any hazardous substance at the site, according to the search warrant signed by a magistrate judge in Los Angeles on June 4.
The warrant also listed digital devices, software, data, documents, records, and employee communications related to the hazardous substances and safety conditions at the plant among the items federal authorities sought in the search.
Company representatives said they were cooperating with the investigation.
“We are cooperating with authorities at our Garden Grove facility and will continue to do so,” a GKN spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.
More than 50,000 residents surrounding the facility at GKN Aerospace’s plant were ordered to evacuate May 22 after a chemical storage tank containing methyl methacrylate, a flammable and volatile chemical used to manufacture plastic parts for military and commercial aircraft, started to overheat.
First responders worked to cool the tank and managed to avoid a massive explosion that could have released up to 7,000 gallons of the toxic material and endangered nearby tanks.
Air monitoring deployed by the EPA during the incident did not detect any chemical vapor spillage in the surrounding community, according to fire officials.
The company has since posted a website to update community members after several have filed lawsuits claiming damages from the incident.
“We apologize to affected community members for the disruption and remain grateful to the emergency responders, public officials, technical specialists, nonprofit organizations, and regulatory agencies that collaborated in the response effort,” GKN posted on the site. “Site response and recovery work is continuing under the oversight of the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) and through the coordinated incident-management structure for the response, which includes the OCHCA, South Coast Air Quality Management District, and GKN.”
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said he is continuing to look into the company’s actions after opening an investigation into the chemical tank incident.
Water is sprayed on a damaged tank after the tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, Calif., on May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
“From day one, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has been on the ground and fully engaged in our investigation into potential criminal acts by GKN related to the May 21, 2026, hazmat incident,” Spitzer said in a statement on social media.
“I am encouraged that the federal government has followed our lead and launched a parallel investigation into the activities at GKN. I welcome any prosecutorial and regulatory agency review to ensure that the 50,000 victims who were forced to evacuate their homes as a result of this emergency situation.”
