June
- The vast majority of the Garden Grove facility was unaffected by the incident. The area housing the tanks is a small corner of the plant and is currently cordoned off. It is in this area that a thorough analysis of the incident is ongoing and where site response and recovery work is continuing.
- Most GKN employees work in unaffected operations in other parts of the plant. Their work includes forming, lamination, machining, and assembly, and does not require them to go near the tanks or the ongoing review. Select employees have now returned to the plant to conduct safety checks and machine calibrations at this unaffected portion of the facility.
- GKN continues to work closely with other regulators and authorities, including the U.S. EPA and Cal OSHA, regarding the affected portion of the facility. Work is underway to clean up this area, including draining MMA from tanks that were not involved in the incident, while preserving all relevant materials.
- Air monitoring continues 24/7 at the fenceline and shows no elevated readings. In the surrounding community, both daily sampling and stationary monitoring continue at designated locations.
- All the measures we’ve put in place with the support and cooperation of our regulators and other authorities confirm that the facility, our employees, and residents remain safe.
- Dr. Darwin Cheng, Director of Environmental Health (OCHCA), confirmed to the Garden Grove City Council on June 23 that there is no danger to the community during the MMA removal process.
- GKN will continue to provide updates to the community as work progresses.
GKN Aerospace Announces Community Support Initiatives
Includes funding to Orange County United Way’s OC Community Resilience Fund to provide short-term assistance as well as commitment to support broader community initiatives
GARDEN GROVE, Calif., June 3, 2026 - GKN Aerospace announced it has funded $3 million to Orange County United Way’s OC Community Resilience Fund to provide assistance to those affected by the recent evacuation of areas surrounding GKN’s Garden Grove facility. The company is also committing an additional $1 million to support broader community initiatives across Orange County. GKN earlier funded $1 million to the American Red Cross to support residents directly impacted by evacuation orders when those orders were in effect.
“By working with a trusted local organization with the infrastructure to mobilize resources quickly, we hope to help expedite assistance to those most in need,” said GKN Senior Vice President Steve Carlin, who oversees the Garden Grove site’s programs. “We will continue to engage with community leaders, work with the authorities, and help the community move forward.”
The OC Community Resilience Fund provides coordinated recovery support for those affected by the incident. By calling 2-1-1 Orange County, a service of Orange County United Way, residents can be connected with local health and human service resources and information about available aid. The fund uses established screening and vulnerability assessment processes to help prioritize assistance.
GKN remains grateful to the emergency responders, public officials, technical specialists, nonprofit organizations, and regulatory agencies that collaborated in the response effort.
Site response and recovery work is continuing under the oversight of the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) as the County’s Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA), and through the Unified Command, the coordinated incident-management structure for the response, which includes the OCHCA, South Coast Air Quality Management District, and GKN.
Residents can find the latest site status information at the Orange County Health Care Agency’s website. Additional information is available at www.gkngg.com.
Media Contact: [email protected]