Melrose shares fall after thermal incident prompts evacuations at GKN Aerospace site

(Sharecast News) - Aerospace manufacturer Melrose Industries said on Tuesday that a thermal issue was identified last week at its GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California, prompting precautionary evacuations in the surrounding area.

Melrose said the incident, detected on 21 May, involved a storage tank containing methyl methacrylate, a chemical used in high‑strength aerospace acrylics, with GKN staff taking immediate action and notifying emergency services.

The Orange County Fire Authority ordered mandatory evacuations for parts of the local community on 22 May while response teams worked to stabilise the site.

Melrose said technical specialists, emergency responders and local authorities had since made "positive progress", allowing the evacuation zone to be significantly reduced on 25 May.

Local officials confirmed that no injuries, leaks or contamination had occurred, and Melrose added that GKN was now working with customers on operational recovery and supply plans.

As of 1000 BST, Melrose shares had dropped 4.55% to 486.44p.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

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