Crews start removal of metal doors left after Tustin hangar fire
Workers dismantle one of the doors on north blimp hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Thursday, December 7, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Crews on giant lifts worked all day and into the evening Thursday, Dec. 7, on the removal of the metal doors that have been bookending the piles of debris that remain of the burnt north hangar.
The dismantling of the towering doors – large enough to let blimps and helicopters pass into the hangar when it was in active use by the Navy and Marines – and related work is expected to take about two weeks.
Workers dismantle one of the doors on north blimp hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Thursday, December 7, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers dismantle one of the doors on north blimp hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Thursday, December 7, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard answers questions as workers start to dismantle one of the doors on north blimp hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Thursday, December 7, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers dismantle one of the doors on north blimp hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Thursday, December 7, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers dismantle one of the doors on north blimp hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Thursday, December 7, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard answers questions as workers start to dismantle one of the doors on north blimp hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Thursday, December 7, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers dismantle one of the doors on north blimp hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Thursday, December 7, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers prepare to take down the doors of the north hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2023.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers prepare to take down the doors of the north hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2023.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers prepare to take down the doors of the north hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2023.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers prepare to take down the doors of the north hangar at the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, CA, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2023.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The fire that ignited in the early hours of Nov. 7 did most of the work of demolishing the body of the historic hangar – built in 1942 with its southern twin at the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station – flames eating along the eastern wall and then the western. Only the doors, which stand 150 feet tall each, and large concrete columns that hold them, remained standing.
The Orange County Fire Authority didn’t declare the fire completely out until Dec. 1. Over the weekend, crews applied a product called Gorilla-Snot, a liquid dust control and soil stabilizer that is supposed to seal the debris in place while the doors are dismantled. City officials said “extensive” air quality and noise monitoring and mitigation will continue during the dismantling of the doors.
The Navy, which still owns the hangar property, said it is preparing a plan to safely remove all that remains.
“The Orange County Fire Authority did an excellent job handling a very challenging situation,” Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard said in a statement. “We are thankful for their hard work and are excited that we are able to complete this final stage of response and now turn the page to focus on recovery. Our community is eager for the final stages of community cleanup and testing to be completed.”
Photographer Jeff Gritchen contributed to this report.
