Massive fire destroys landmark World War II-era blimp hangar in California
A massive fire ripped through a historic blimp hangar at a former air base in Southern California, where several TV shows and movies have been shot, including “Pearl Harbor” and “Star Trek.”
The blaze broke out about 1 a.m. Tuesday at the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, according to the Orange County Fire Authority, which posted dramatic video of the giant landmark going up in flames.
No injuries were immediately reported.
Parts of the roof collapsed to the ground as dozens of firefighters took up positions outside the hanger, which is usually empty, NBC Los Angeles reported.
The structure, also known as Hangar 1, was still burning hours later.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“It’s definitely not a normal fire, but today because of the complex fire operation, our incident commanders decided that they are going to use helicopters along with the truck companies,” fire Capt. Thanh Nguyen said, according to KTLA.
The Chinook helicopters are usually used to fight wildfires.
“Our firefighters are situated outside [the hangar] and they are placing their units in the most advantageous spots to get water into the structure. Then, should the building collapse, they are not in the line of fire,” he added.
The conflagration also risked spreading to a second blimp hangar.
The twin hangars — which measure 17 stories tall, over 1,000 feet long and about 300 feet wide — are two of the world’s largest freestanding wooden structures and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to KTLA.
They have been at Warner Avenue since World War II and were the home port of a dozen blimps used for submarine patrol and later helicopters before being decommissioned in 1999.
Several blockbuster movies and prominent TV shows have been shot in the hangars, including “Pearl Harbor, “Star Trek,” “JAG” and “The X Files,” NBC LA reported.
In addition, the Tustin Hangar 5K race has been held there.
“It’s a sad day for the city of Tustin, for all of Orange County,” Orange County Fire Chief Brian Fennessy told reporters.
Seventy firefighters on 11 engines and five firetrucks responded, along with the choppers, the LA Times reported.
“That’s unheard of,” Fennessy said about using aerial resources. “But we thought we would throw everything we could at it just in case we could stop it midway.”
Debbie Baker, 70, was awakened about 1:30 a.m. by the sounds of helicopters flying above her nearby home.
“It’s so sad. For years those hangars welcomed us home. It’s what made this community special,” she told the newspaper as her voice broke with emotion.
The hangars, which were erected by the military in 1942 as part of the now-defunct Tustin Naval Air Station, were built mostly from Oregon Douglas fir, according to the LA Times.
Metallic salts were used in the wood as a fire retardant.
Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard said many residents had personal connections to the hangars by working on the base.
“This is not the end for what we call the north hangar that was envisioned,” Lumbard told the LA Times. “It’s not the dignified treatment that it deserves.”
