Over 70 firefighters are currently battling a huge fire at a historic air base in Orange County, California – with officials fearing that the entire structure may collapse.
A raging blaze broke out at 1am at the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin – as emergency services in the air and on the ground rushed to the scene to put out the amber-glowing wooden structure.
The historic twin blimp hangars are 17 stories tall and during World War II, they were used to port fleets of helicopters and blimps. Since then, they’ve featured in films and TV shows.
Hagar 1 is completely engulfed in flames, reports KTLA, and as of 4.30am the fire is still burning through the structures. Dark smoke was seen billowing from the area.
Emergency services in the air and on the ground rushed to the scene to put out the amber-glowing wooden structure. The historic twin blimp hangars are 17 stories tall
The hangars were, and still are, two of the largest wooden structures ever built – reaching 1,000 feet long and 300 feet wide
At 6.35am local time, firefighters said they planned to allow the hangar to collapse so that ground crews could better put out the flames.
The OC Fire Authority said: ‘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.’
The hangars were, and still are, two of the largest wooden structures ever built – reaching 1,000 feet long and 300 feet wide.
In 1993 they were listed by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks of the 20th Century.
And the hangars have been featured in Austin Powers, Pearl Harbor, and Star Trek – as well as JAG and The X Files.
At 6.35am local time, firefighters said they planned to allow the hangar to collapse so that ground crews could better put out the flames
The structures have featured in many films – including Star Trek in 2009
The blimp structure is seen in the background of the movie Pearl Harbor, featuring Alec Baldwin
OCFA Captain Thanh Nguyen said: ‘It’s definitely not a normal fire, but today because of the complex fire operation, our incident commanders decided that they are going to use helicopters along with the truck companies.
‘Our firefighters are situated outside [the hangar] and they are placing their units in the most advantageous spots to get water into the structure.
‘Then, should the building collapse, they are not in the line of fire.’
One passerby, named James, told KTLA: ‘It’s a huge landmark and to see them disappearing like this is kind of shocking.’
Connor Ruffallo told KTLA: ‘To have [the hangar] burn down is a tragedy. It’s a piece of history that we are losing today.’
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
No injuries or deaths have been reported because of the blaze.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
