A flare-up was visible on Saturday evening, Nov. 11, four days after fire ripped through the massive World War II-era hangar at the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station.
The sudden, fiery eruption was to be expected, the Orange County Fire Authority said. But it raises additional concerns about the release of asbestos and other toxic pollutants.
Dozens of firefighters responded to the initial fire on Tuesday, but the threat of asbestos lingering in the smoke and fears that the structure is not stable have prevented a significant attack on the fire in the days since, according to the OCFA.
Fire destroys massive, historic north hangar at shuttered Tustin airfield
The city of Tustin and Orange County both declared states of emergency because of the asbestos, and the Tustin Unified School District shut down all schools on Thursday. They also will be closed on Monday, the district announced on Saturday.
Residents in those areas, as well as the surrounding cities, have been advised to close their windows and avoid ash from the fire.
Irvine resident Emily Moncur, a graphic designer and photographer, was at a Joann Fabric store near the hangar when she spotted the smoke on Saturday afternoon.
The chemicals being released are making her nervous, she said.
Moncur has been staying mostly indoors to avoid the smoke.
“We haven’t seen any embers,” she said, “but you can almost taste the air when you go out.”
Asbestos from Tustin hangar fire triggers health warnings, closures
The Orange County Fire Department and the Tustin Fire Department responded to what authorities described as a “small” flare-up at the north hangar at around 5 p.m. Saturday.
Crews are currently on scene monitoring the blaze, but according to OCFA Fire Captain Greg Barta, flare-ups are normal with fires this large, and intervening is unnecessary.
It’s unclear if the flare-up will release more asbestos, but Barta said that because firefighters cannot get into the hangar and put the blaze…
Read the full article here
