Devastating fire destroys historic WWII blimp hangar in California

A fire destroyed a historic former military air base hangar in Tustin, California. Firefighters waited for the disused wooden structure to collapse before they worked to fully extinguish the fire, the Orange County Fire Authority said. The 1,000-foot-long hangar, which was commissioned in 1942, once housed blimps that were used in World War II, according to local reports. The hangar was closed in 1999. This footage shows the hangar partially collapsing as it was burned in the fire. A blaze tore through a historic World War II-era blimp hangar in Orange County, California, on Tuesday, November 7, local news reported. Firefighters responded to the scene shortly after midnight and had to use water tankers and helicopters to battle the large blaze, according to the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). The fire damage across the 17-story-high hangar was extensive and the structure would need to be demolished, the Orange County Register said, citing local authorities. The structure was one of two hangars at the shuttered Marine Corps Air Station Tustin. The 1942 hangars “were two of the largest wooden structures ever constructed,” an OCFA spokesperson said. No injuries had been reported and an investigation into the cause of the fire had been started, according to officials. This footage by the OCFA shows firefighters using cranes to battle the blaze. The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know Read The Sun: Like The Sun on Facebook: Follow The Sun on Twitter: Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: #fire #WWII #california