Tuesday, November 7, 2023

A historic blimp hangar in Southern California burned down





LAT (it housed submarine-hunting blimps during WW2):
Seventy OCFA firefighters on 11 engines and five fire trucks responded to the fire, which was so large and complex that officials deployed helicopters, including a Chinook used in wildfires, to drop water on the huge structure.
...
About a decade ago, there had been concerns about damage to the structures. Plans to develop the site into a regional park fell through in 2021.

Last year, Tustin began a $330,000 cleanup effort of the base — the most significant since its closure — removing large containers, scrap piles, various abandoned equipment and interior broken fencing from the site, repairing fencing along the perimeter and trimming overgrown vegetation, which could make the site prone to fires.