Frequently Asked Questions

Enter the information into the Debris Reporting Form on our website.

If you think you have debris from the fire, consider it to be hazardous and avoid contact. Enter information into portal.

Yes. There are two different companies handling two different aspects. EnviroCheck is handling the detection. ATI is handling the removal.

Dial 911 for paramedics.

Results from tests performed to date by multiple entities (including South Coast AQMD, US EPA, USN and IMT contractors) in response to the Hangar Fire Incident suggests that the main concern for asbestos exposure was from bulk debris while asbestos fibers in the air played a limited role. While several heavy metals were originally detected in mobile monitoring of the smoke plume, additional metal testing revealed these returned to normal background levels. Air monitoring of metals collected to date were under the level of concern or were not detected. 

Experts from the IMT’s Environmental Unit have determined that testing indoor spaces is not necessary, thanks to reassuring test results from nearby facilities (Orange County Sheriff Department’s facilities, Public Schools, local parks, community centers).

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The main focus of the response is in and around the hangar. The debris fallout reported will help guide air monitoring plans. U.S. EPA is the lead on air monitoring for this incident and is working with Unified Command.

Pet owners can walk their pets in areas that have been reopened.

Yes. But we cannot guarantee reimbursement.

If you still have visible debris from the Hangar incident on the exterior of your home or business,

i. Avoid touching suspected debris from this incident and report the debris on the portal.

ii. Avoid landscaping activities (mowing/leaf blowing/gardening) until the visible debris is appropriately removed.

iii. Follow any guidance provided by certified asbestos consultants (CAC’s).

Heating, air conditioning, and ventilation units can be turned on and used as normal.

No. Enter the information into the portal if you believe it to be debris from the hangar incident.

Cleaning methods to further reduce risks:

1. Use wet cleaning methods for windowsills/window screens, balconies, and door entrances. Do not use a pressure washer.
2. Use a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum.

If you have a private pool on your property, and you suspect that hangar debris may have been captured by your pool’s skimmer basket or pump filter, you need to coordinate a time so your pool service technician, and a Certified Asbestos Contractor (CAC) can work to remove it together.  

First, you should contact your pool service company (if you use one) to determine when they are available to be at your home to oversee the cleanout of the filter.  Then contact a Certified Asbestos Contractor (CAC) to arrive at the same time. Detection and remediation crews working in the neighborhoods are not including private pools or pump equipment in their operations.

 Although CACs are qualified to handle the removal of asbestos, they are not experts on pool pump filters.  The pool service technician needs to be on site to help guide the CAC through the filter removal and will help insure there is no damage to the filter system.   If you service your own pool, you can help guide the disassembly process yourself.  The CAC can then safely remove the material.

If you do not believe there is any Asbestos debris in your backyard or pool area, no further action is required.

All Tustin parks are open and can be utilized without restrictions.

Yes.

No.

The hangar is surrounded by open fields. Most water will percolate into the existing soil. Tustin engineers have looked at the runoff reservoirs, and they are big enough to prevent flow of water into the storm drains.

The fire is still under investigation and will take several weeks to complete.

The Firefight:

1. Efforts by the OCFA to extinguish the fire the morning it ignited were unprecedented. It was likely the first time in human history that the largest firefighting helicopters in the world made water drops on a structure at night.
   1. Conducting air operations at night always comes with risk, but the OCFA command staff agreed that the historical value of the hangar and its rich ties to the City of Tustin, especially its veteran community, warranted such risk for the potential reward of partially saving the building.
2. As this aerial attack with three helicopters was occurring, the OCFA had over 70 firefighters on 11 Engines, 5 Trucks, Heavy Search & Rescue, and multiple other additional pieces of equipment aiding in the firefight.
3. Unfortunately, this unprecedented aerial attack and robust ground crew presence did little to nothing to impede the fire’s path on this 17-story all-wood building (one of the largest ever constructed in the world).
4. Built during WWII, the hangar had none of the fire suppression and patron survivability measures of today; no fire sprinklers, no hose line plumbing, and no access to upper levels.
5. In short, it became evident that no amount of firefighting resources, aircraft, or personnel was going to stop the fire from burning itself out – at least not without a direct risk to the lives of our firefighters.

The Plan:

1. It was then determined by the Fire Chief and Incident Commander that the safest and most operationally sound method to extinguish this fire was to allow it to burn itself out over several days.
2. At no point in the ensuing days has there been a safe or effective opportunity for firefighters to approach or engage the fire with ground resources, and even if there was, the AQMD’s perimeter eliminates any potential approach of firefighters.
3. Further, because helicopter drops cannot access the void spaces in which the fire is burning itself out, an aerial attack is also not a viable or safe option.
4. The expected upticks in fire activity present no threat of spread to surrounding structures and there is no debris in the smoke due to the low energy of the fire. 
5. In other words, what the Fire Chief stated publicly at the incident’s first Press Conference — the safest and most operationally sound method of extinguishing this fire is to let it burn out — remains valid.