Two weeks after the blimp hangar fire ignited overnight at the shuttered Tustin Marine Corps Air Station, residents say they are still waiting for asbestos waste emitted from the historic hangar to be collected from their homes.
Residents standing by for city-hired contractors to remove asbestos say they have been forced to live in hotels, test their homes for asbestos and hire companies to remediate their houses as the city continues to wait for more help on clean up efforts.
Jeff Lawrence, who lives in a neighborhood across the street from the hangar, said debris is all over his yards and roof. Lawrence paid out of pocket to confirm that the chunks of debris outside had asbestos.
“Because all of this is uncoordinated, nobody really knows what they should be doing,” Lawrence said.
Two samples of debris collected from Lawrence’s backyard tested positive for containing asbestos, according to a lab report he shared with the newspaper. Asbestos comprised 20% of one sample and 70% of another.
Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard said he’s been frustrated with the situation, but approvals for cleaning up private property have to go through environmental agencies first. “It’s been a regulatory obstacle to get all the agencies aligned and allow that to happen.”
“We are going on day 16 and frankly that’s unacceptable,” Lumbard said Wednesday. “Seems like a pretty simple task to collect physical debris.”
Lumbard said the city hopes contractors can start cleaning up debris from people’s homes in the coming days. The City Council Tuesday night approved using $7.8 million from the city’s reserves for paying the asbestos contractors that have been working, with the goal to have the cost reimbursed by the state or federal government.
That money will cover the costs for a few weeks, Lumbard said, but won’t be enough to fund the entire cleanup effort. The Navy, which owns the hangar, has given the city $1 million and officials have said more money…
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