AirTalk is off this week, so we’ll be supplying our podcast listeners with reruns of our Southern California history segments. Today’s episode is on the Tustin Hangars. If you’d like to suggest a topic for a future SoCal history segment, email it to [email protected]. 

Orange County is still in a state of emergency after smoke and debris from the Tustin hangar fire tested positive for asbestos and other toxins last week. Tustin schools remain closed.

The fire broke out at Tustin’s Marine Corps Air Station early Tuesday morning, irreparably damaging one of two historic blimp hangars there. The hangars were built in 1942 to hold Lighter-Than-Air aircrafts, or LTAs, that patrolled the U.S. coastline during World War II. At 17 stories high, more than 1,000 feet long, and 300 feet wide, the hangars were two of the largest wooden structures in the world. They’ve been mostly vacant since the base was decommissioned in 1999, sometimes serving as a shooting location for films and commercials. Now, the north hangar (Hangar 1) will have to be demolished completely. The south hangar (Hangar 2) is still standing, but there are no current plans to preserve it. The Marine Corps community is reeling from the loss. Joining Larry to discuss the hangars’ history, significance, and the fight for preservation are Brian Delahaut, retired Marine Colonel stationed at Tustin between 1983 and 1995, and Chris Jepsen, local historian and president of the Orange County Historical Society.