50,000 people were evacuated from their homes for nearly a week due to a potential explosion at nearby GKN Aerospace facility. Now, they seek retribution
Tens of thousands of residents were placed under evacuation for six days ending on Tuesday night after a tank containing a toxic chemical overheated at a GKN Aerospace facility in the area, stoking fear of a possible explosion.
While the tank did not cause any fire, the leading global tier one supplier of aerospace technology is now facing mounting lawsuits from angry Garden Grove citizens who believe the company was negligent.
“The company knew about these dangers and really didn’t act on them,” Butch Wagner of Wagner Law Group told KTLA. “Employees complained about these issues that would lead to either an explosion or a leak, such as the one that caused the evacuation.”
Complaints allege that GKN should have known that an uncontrolled increase in temperature inside its storage tanks could create a serious danger to the community, and failed to take precautions to prevent a chemical emergency, according to a class action lawsuit. Residents are suing the company for the expenses incurred by the resulting evacuation and displacement, emotional distress and property damage.
“This case is about accountability for a preventable event that disrupted entire communities and put families in harm’s way,” said Dan Flynn, Chair of DiCello Levitt’s Environmental Litigation Practice Group, one of the firms that filed a joint class action lawsuit against the company.
“Companies that store and use dangerous chemicals in residential communities have a fundamental obligation to inspect, maintain, and operate their facilities safely. When they fail to do so, and families are forced from their homes while facing the risk of toxic exposure or explosion, those companies must be held responsible,” Flynn said in a statement.
At a City Council meeting the evening that the evacuation notice was lifted for all residents, many expressed outrage at the location of the facility being so close to their neighborhood and called for it to be shut down to avoid repeated incidents.
The company has had 10 violations since 2018 after Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections, according to public records. In 2025, GKN settled a lawsuit with the Southern California Air Quality Management District over violations of record keeping and nitrogen oxide emissions, according to the Los Angeles Times. District Attorney Todd Spitzer is currently criminally investigating the company to determine the cause of the incident.
Scroll to continue reading
Garden Grove is not the only location of a GKN facility in California, with two other plants operating in El Cajon and San Diego.
“Our focus remains on supporting the community, working closely with authorities, and continuing to ensure a safe and responsible path forward,” said GKN Senior Vice President Steve Carlin, who oversees the Garden Grove site’s programs, in a statement. I am personally committed to working with the Garden Grove, Stanton, and broader Orange County communities on these efforts.”
Comments are closed.