Initial cleanup efforts are underway in Tustin to rid from city streets and homes dangerous debris spewed out from the burning blimp hangar, as the stubborn fire continues to burn and emit smoke into the air.
“I don’t think anybody thought that the fire would still be burning six days later,” Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard said.
The northern World War II-era hangar at the decommissioned Tustin Marine Corps Air Station caught fire Nov. 7, spewing asbestos and other volatile organic compounds into the air. Two flare-ups over the weekend have prolonged the fire and have prevented officials from getting on the site.
Lumbard said he expects more flare-ups to occur until the fire is extinguished. “I wouldn’t say we are out of the thick of it yet.”
Contractors in personal protective equipment were walking the streets surrounding the hangar on Monday, picking up hazardous debris. Valencia Avenue and Armstrong Avenue near the hangar have been closed to traffic.
A spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District said the agency on Sunday approved the city’s residential cleanup plan, giving the green light to allow workers to go onto people’s private property to clean up debris from the fire.
Residents are asked to call the city’s contractor Envirocheck at 714-937-0750 to request free removal of fire debris from their homes or businesses. Envirocheck will do an assessment of the debris, and another asbestos contractor, ATI Restoration, will come to do the removal if necessary. Get information on the city’s website on when to call for removal.
Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz said Monday the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Investigators are unable to get onto the site because the fire is still burning, he said.
Lumbard said OCFA is also not able to get fire crews close to the structure to fight the fire because of safety hazards. He added that a helicopter dropping water on the hangar, as OCFA did in an…
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