About 50,000 residents in Southern California remained under evacuation orders Monday as emergency crews continued working to prevent what officials warned could become one of the worst chemical incidents in California history.
The crisis at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove has now stretched into a fourth day, with families sleeping in shelters, cars and temporary evacuation centers while fire crews monitor an overheating chemical tank feared capable of triggering a devastating vapor explosion.
Officials said a possible crack discovered in the tank over the weekend may be releasing pressure inside the container, a development they hope could reduce the risk of the most catastrophic explosion scenario known as a BLEVE — a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion…