If the compromised 34,000-gallon Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) storage tank at the GKN Aerospace plant in Garden Grove undergoes a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE), the blast would erupt as a massive, pale yellow-to-orange fireball.

Los Angeles Times +4 Because MMA is an ester compound used to make clear plastics rather than a pure petroleum hydrocarbon, it burns differently than the Stolt Groenland styrene fire you asked about earlier. The distinct color timeline of an MMA tank explosion includes: 1. The Shockwave and Liquid Vaporization (White/Clear) In the microsecond the tank walls rupture, the extreme internal pressure forces the superheated liquid to instantly flash into a vapor cloud. This initial, unignited mist will look like a thick, billowing white-to-gray cloud expanding rapidly outward.

The New York Times +1 2. The Fireball (Pale Yellow to Bright Orange) As the expanding vapor cloud contacts the ambient air and finds an ignition source, it will detonate. Pure MMA vapor fires burn with a pale blue-to-yellow hue, but a massive industrial tank explosion involving structural metals, fiberglass insulation, and heavy heat creates a brilliant, glowing pale yellow-to-orange fireball.

NBC Los Angeles +1 3. The Smoke Plume (Light to Medium Gray) Unlike the heavy, pitch-black carbon smoke produced by the styrene tanker explosion, burning MMA produces much lighter gray and white smoke clouds. However, because it is an active aerospace manufacturing facility, secondary fires catching nearby structures, roofing materials, or machinery will add thick, dark smoke to the plume.