TUSTIN, Calif.—Environmental clean-up crews wore protective gear work to remove hazardous materials in the wake of a fire that consumed a historic World War II era military blimp hangar Nov. 14.
The fire—which began Nov. 7 and continued to smolder for over a week—caught the attention of residents along a fence near Armstrong Street while a small crew from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency monitored air quality.
A fire continues to burn a historic blimp hangar in Tustin, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
A fire continues to burn a historic blimp hangar in Tustin, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
A water truck soaks the ground as a fire continues to burn in a historic blimp hangar in Tustin, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
“We are going to recommend a N95 mask because there is some really bad stuff floating around in the air right now,” an agency member told The Epoch Times.
“This fire has really made the air unhealthy.”
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a warning about unhealthy air quality in the Tustin and Irvine areas after tests of debris and ash from the fire showed the presence of asbestos, prompting the issuance of an emergency proclamation and the call for residents to take precautions.
Men walk as a fire continues to burn a historic blimp hangar in Tustin, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
A fire continues to burn down a historic blimp hangar in Tustin, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
A water truck drives toward a clean up crew as a fire continues to burn a historic blimp hangar in Tustin, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
Poor air quality due to the fire also led Tustin Unified School district campuses to close earlier this week, while firefighters from the Orange County Fire Authority monitored the fire and planned to let it burn itself out, according to OCFA spokesman Cpt. Greg Barta.
Orange County health officials also urged people in the area to limit their exposure due to smoke and ash from the hangar, which formerly stood 17 stories high and 1,000 feet long.
Tustin officials have set up a website and a hotline (714) 628-7085, for updates.
Men search for hazardous materials a fire continues to burn a historic blimp hangar in Tustin, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
A fire continues to burn a historic blimp hangar in Tustin, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
