A historic WWII-era hangar at a former Air base in Tustin, California burned down. The massive blaze was reported around 1 AM on Tuesday morning. Fortunately, the second hangar was spared thanks to the hard work of the fire crews.
The hangar is about 17 stories tall so firefighters were using a helicopter to try and extinguish the flames. Firefighter crews were also on the ground too.
This was a logistically difficult fire to fight because there wasn’t sufficient water on the property. The crews had to connect long hoses to nearby fire hydrants on the local streets.
TUSTIN, Calif. — A massive fire ripped through a historic hangar at a former air base in Orange County Tuesday morning, prompting a large response from fire crews.
The three-alarm fire was reported around 1 a.m. at the north hangar in Tustin, near Valencia Avenue and Armstrong Road, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
It was so large, that firefighters used a helicopter to try to put out the flames that consumed the structure standing 17 stories high. Crews were also attacking from the ground.
Captain Thanh Nguyen said that the fire did not pose a threat to any civilians and that they were able to focus on extinguishing the fire.
The historic hangars were built in 1942 during WWII at the former Marine Corps Air Station. It has even been featured in film and TV shows including, “Pearl Harbor,” and “Star Trek.” They are also known as some of the largest wooden structures built.
This is a sad loss for Orange County and for those who appreciate the significance of such a great historical landmark. It helped preserve the memory of an era that is long gone.
Arson investigators were called to the scene.
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