Tustin hangar demolished two weeks after destructive fire

Crews on Tuesday tore down the remnants of the historic Tustin hangar that burned down after a mysterious fire two weeks ago. 

The latest effort began on Saturday and aimed to put out remaining hot spots while stabilizing the hangar doors and leaving the concrete pillars to be dealt with later, according to a statement by the Incident Management Team.  

The fire destroyed the iconic hangar in the early morning of Nov. 7.

Debris and ash from the fire showed the presence of asbestos, leading the AQMD to issue warnings about unhealthy air and urge residents to remain indoors with windows and doors closed.

"The ash situation is still kind of a mystery to us," said Tustin homeowner Chad Senf. "We're just kind of avoiding it when we see it. We've got three kids in the house. We're not playing outside. We've had our windows shut for the last two weeks now."

Authorities established monitors around the perimeter of the hangar's remnants. While they initially detected asbestos in the debris, the monitors showed good air guilty on Tuesday. Crews in protective suits lined the property to pick up debris near the charred ruins.

"We're encouraging people not to touch the debris," said Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley. 

To reduce exposure to anything that could be unhealthy, county leaders advise people keep their windows and doors closed. Also, they urged residents to remove their shoes before entering their homes and to use air purifiers without running air conditioners or fans.