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Tustin makes another plea for emergency assistance after toxic hangar fire
The structural remains of the burned Tustin hangar.
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)
Topline:
It's been eight months since the Tustin hangar fire, but the City Council Tuesday night confirmed that the emergency is far from over. The council renewed the city's local emergency proclamation to address the ongoing toxic impacts of the fire.
Why it matters: Some residents have been fearful about what they or their families might have been exposed to during the fire, which sent asbestos and lead raining down on the local community. Proclamations like the one approved Tuesday night, and details released about upcoming cleanup efforts, do little to quell those fears.
What's new here? The renewed emergency declaration notes that environmental officials advise removing fire debris that still remains on some people's rooftops and in their rain gutters. For the past eight months, the city's asbestos removal contractors have only cleaned up debris from outdoor ground-level surfaces.
An LAist investigation found that contractors had to return to some homes multiple times to remove fire debris after wind and rain pushed debris off of rooftops, causing yards to be recontaminated. Stephanie Najera, a spokesperson for the city, said they're working with the Navy to find funding to clean rooftops and gutters, and with public health officials to develop a work plan.
Why now? Under state law, the city has to renew its proclamation every 60 days until the emergency is considered resolved. In the proclamation, the city states that "enormous amounts" of asbestos-containing fire debris are still being stored on the former Tustin air base, awaiting Navy removal.
The city will continue to monitor air quality around the base during the cleanup and dismantling of the hangar remains, which could take up to a year, according to the Navy.
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What's the point of the proclamation? The city's proclamation serves as a plea to the Governor's Office of Emergency Services to declare the hangar fire a state emergency, thereby easing the way for state and federal funding to help with the continued cleanup, and potential disaster relief programs. The state legislature has also requested federal help for Tustin, up to $100 million.
Go deeper:
8 months after Tustin hangar fire, why some residents are gripped by toxic uncertainty
The toxic footprint of the Tustin hangar fire: We mapped 1,382 locations where debris was reported
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