The burning blimp hangar at the shuttered Tustin Marine Corps Air Station will be demolished in the coming days as the fire that’s burned for over a week nears its end, according to local officials.
Orange County Third District Supervisor Don Wagner said Tuesday morning there will be ample public notice for when the hangar will be torn down, but a date hadn’t been set yet.
“Right now, it’s a bit of a moving target of when it’s going to happen,” Wagner said. “I don’t believe it will be as early as (Wednesday).”
The fire continues to burn at the decommissioned military hangar, one of a pair of icons for the city. The fire is moving down the west wall.
Construction activity has begun around the hangar in preparation for the demolition. Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard said the Orange County Fire Authority expects the fire to last another day or two.
Testing of air quality samples taken over the weekend from four locations surrounding the hangar showed no asbestos, according to a news release Monday night from the city of Tustin.
Asbestos cleanup continues around Tustin to remove hazardous debris from city streets and neighborhoods. The weekend flare-ups at the hangar put more debris in some neighborhoods, according to an incident update from the city. Cleanup may take several weeks to complete.
Lumbard said the city has proactively deployed cleanup personnel in the nearby Columbus Square neighborhood. The city on Tuesday set up a new call center and debris reporting portal. The portal is linked to GIS mapping and will help officials determine hotspots for cleanup.
The Tustin Unified School District canceled plans to bring students back to several of its schools on Tuesday due to the hangar demolition plans. “It is possible that all TUSD schools will finish this week in virtual instruction,” Tustin Unified Superintendent Mark Johnson said in a Monday night statement, but Tuesday afternoon said some students would return to campuses on…
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