From #LATimes ... I'm heartbroken. The two blimp hangars are perhaps the most famous and significant landmarks in Orange County CA. One was used as a film stage; among its many films was "Apollo 13."
From the OCFA PIO:
"Due to the dynamic nature of the fire, and the imminent danger of collapse, we have determined the most operationally sound method is to allow the structure to collapse, at which point ground crews can move in closer, and aggressively work to extinguish the fire."
From #OCRegister:
The fire is in one of two hangars that once housed blimps used in World War II and later provided cover for military helicopters.
The historic hangars have been featured in television and films, including ”JAG, ” ”The X Files,” ”Austin Powers,” ”Pearl Harbor ” and ”Star Trek.”
https://www.ocregister.com/2023/11/07/former-tustin-air-base-hangars-on-fire/
This scene in the 2009 #StarTrek movie, where the two Spocks meet, was filmed in the Tustin blimp hangar.
There's no comparison in terms of historical significance, but for the OC this is our Notre Dame fire.
The Tustin "Lighter Than Air" (LTA) hangars were built in 1942, originally for blimps to hunt Japanese submarines off the Southern California coast.
They were converted for use with Marine Corps helicopters. My wife's father worked there.
When the base closed in the 1990s, Tustin scrambled to find practical uses for them. One was converted to a film stage. The other was in too poor a condition.
In the fourth photo, I believe it's the rear hangar that burned today, not the film stage.
Video of today's Tustin historic blimp/helicopter hangar fire from Fox Live Now.
Video from KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles reporting on today's Tustin blimp hangar fire.
KABC-TV Channel 7 Los Angeles video during the night of the Tustin hangar fire.
This is amateur video of the Tustin hangar fire from about two hours ago. It's almost all gone now.
This KCAL-TV Channel 9 video is on the history of the Tustin blimp hangars.
From #OCRegister ... And my heart breaks again. The Tustin north hangar is pretty much gone now.
