On Monday (25th), Orange County Fire Authority issued a stern warning to private drone users due to a chemical tank steam leak incident in Garden Grove since the 21st. The airspace over the affected area has been prohibited for drone and aircraft flights. Authorities urge the public not to use private drones until the ban is lifted.
Currently, Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) has deployed at least three drones to monitor the temperature of the chemical tanks in the area round the clock. Fire Chief Brian Yau stated that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ban will last until Tuesday (26th). Any drone operation during the no-fly period at the incident site may face charges for interfering with emergency rescue efforts.
“If other drones appear in the airspace, for the safety of our own drones and to avoid damage, our operators must land the drones,” Yau said. “Once the drones land, we will lose real-time monitoring of firefighters on the ground and hazardous materials teams from the air, losing surveillance and thermal imaging capabilities. Rescue personnel will be unable to obtain crucial data needed to complete their tasks.”
Drones played a crucial role in addressing the emergency in Garden Grove, not only monitoring the dynamics of emergency rescue teams but also assisting in detecting the real-time temperatures of damaged tanks.
Yau warned that the Fire Authority has the capability to identify and locate private drone users who interfere with rescue operations. “We are equipped with Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Counter-UAS) devices, which can not only detect drones in the air and their registration status but also accurately locate the position of the Remote ID signal of the drone.”
As of the early morning of the 25th, Orange County Fire Authority has announced that the previous concerns of tank explosion threat have been completely eliminated. The tank containing the toxic substance methyl methacrylate had cracked, been depressurized internally, and the temperature had dropped from nearly 100 degrees to 93 degrees. The Fire Authority is still addressing the risk of toxic substance leakage from the tank.
By the evening of the 25th, a new evacuation area range was announced, with the number of affected residents decreasing from about 50,000 to 16,000. The evacuation area stretches north to Orangewood Ave, east to Bale St, west to Knot St, south to Garden Grove Blvd; all entrances and exits of Highway 22 have resumed normal operations.