Orange County hangar fire may have been started by copper thieves: LAist
Officials may have identified the cause of the 2023 fire that destroyed a blimp hangar at the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin.
The blaze, which burned for nearly a month and spread toxic substances like asbestos and arsenic around the area, could be tied to a break-in the day before, LAist reports.
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One of two historic air base hangers goes up in flames in Tustin, California. Nov. 7, 2023. (KTLA) -
The hangar at the historic Marine Corps Air Station Tustin burning on Nov. 7, 2023. (KTLA) -
The hangar at the historic Marine Corps Air Station Tustin burning on Nov. 7, 2023. (Sky5) -
A historic blimp hangar burns in Tustin, Calif., Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. A fire destroyed a massive World War II-era wooden hangar that was built to house military blimps based in Southern California. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
An active flare-up of a fire seen on the doors of a historic airbase hangar in Tustin on Nov. 11 has prompted concerns from residents. (OC Hawk) -
Orange County firefighters battle a fire affecting the north hangar at the Tustin Air Base in Tustin, Calif. Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP) -
A second flare-up reignites at a historic WWII-era hangar in Tustin on Nov. 14, 2023. (OnScene.TV) -
A second flare-up reignites at a historic WWII-era hangar in Tustin on Nov. 14, 2023. (KTLA)
Citing public records acquired from the Orange County Fire Authority, LAist disclosed that investigators found that teens and homeless people frequently broke into the facility.
“Through this investigation we were unable to exclude an intentional act by one or more persons, the use of a warming or cooking fire by an unknown person or persons, or the use of an open flame by one or more persons for various activities including but not limited to smoking, drug use, lighting or the known practice of stealing and stripping of copper wire from vacant or unoccupied buildings,” investigators said in the documents.
Cleanup is ongoing at the site, and those efforts have cost taxpayers $100 million, LAist added.