Fire Destroys Historic Blimp Hangar That Played Important Role In WWII And Other Conflicts

Fire crews responded early Tuesday to a fire at one of two massive wooden hangars at the former Tustin Air Base.

Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy said a decision was made to let the structure collapse so that ground crews could work to extinguish the fire.

“We determined that there were no lives at risk inside and that the fire was so well established we would let the fire burn and try to stop it where we could,” Fennessy said at a news conference Tuesday morning.

Hangar history

A historic view of the hangar in the former Tustin base.

(

City of Tustin

)

The hangar after today's fire.

(

Jae C. Hong

/

AP

)

At 17 stories high, over 1,000 feet long and 300 feet wide, the hangars were built on the Tustin Air Base in 1942 almost completely out of Oregon Douglas Fir. The design was conceived because of because of wartime steel rationing.

Blimps were housed in the hangars during World War II, at a time when the U.S. feared enemy combatants would target the country’s coast. The blimps would patrol the coasts and had the capability of attacking enemy ships and submarines. During the Korean War, the hangars were used for military helicopter storage and maintenance.

In 1975, the hangars were entered into the National Register of Historic Places, based on their historic connection to World War II and other military conflicts. They were also recognized as two of the largest wooden structures in the world.

Come 1993, the two hulking hangars were regarded by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks of the 20th Century.

Since the base closed in 1990, the hangars, owned by the Navy, have served as a venue space for airshows, community and charity events. They've also been featured in television and films, including JAG, The X Files, Austin Powers, Pearl Harbor and Star Trek.

Read more

• The Tustin Hangars: Titans of History