Orange County Fire Authority officials have closed their investigation into the cause of the Tustin hangar fire, more than a year after the late-night blaze destroyed one of the city’s iconic World War II-era blimp hangars.
Investigators looked at leads related to copper wire thieves and reports of someone who had once frequented the hangar. Ultimately, investigators couldn’t zero in on a cause and closed their investigation in November, according to newly released records.
The fire broke out on Nov. 7, 2023 and burned for 24 days, spewing debris into surrounding neighborhoods. Cleanup costs during and after the fire have eclipsed $100 million. The second hangar from the shuttered Tustin Marine Corps Air Station remains standing.
Officials investigating the cause were unable to rule out whether the fire was set intentionally, was caused by copper wire thieves, or was unintentionally set through actions such as smoking a cigarette or someone cooking food.
Investigators ruled out lightning, equipment, fireworks and children playing with fire as possible causes of the fire. The building did not have running electricity or gas, according to the released Incident Investigation Report.
Mayor Austin Lumbard thanked OCFA officials for their efforts throughout the investigation.
“We are aware that the OCFA spent countless hours investigating the fire, and the city appreciates their relentless determination in pursuing their investigation,” Lumbard said in a text message. “The OCFA has informed the city that it will reopen the investigation should any credible new information become available. We continue to encourage anyone with pertinent information about the Navy North Hangar Fire to contact the Orange County Fire Authority.”
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Investigators looked at a suspect who was known to frequent the hangar and once stayed at a nearby homeless shelter in Tustin, according to the investigation report.
That man was interviewed extensively by investigators after being located in February 2024. He had been accused by a person staying at a nearby homeless shelter the same day the fire broke out of causing the blaze. The man had been known to hang out at the hangar and a few days before the fire he posted on his Facebook page a video that showed a cart containing bare copper wire, according to the report.
In the interview, the man said he hadn’t been to the hangar in more than a year, but had known the site well. He surmised to investigators that it could have been children playing at the hangar that started the fire, the report said.
Following the interview, investigators got a search warrant to obtain the man’s cell phone location records from T-Mobile, which did not show the phone to be at or near the hangar the night of the fire, the report said.
Investigators learned a window had been broken the day before the fire by an unidentified person who went inside and later fled the area when approached by maintenance personnel, according to the report. A property manager for the base saw a man jump a chain-link fence toward the street.
Inside, the broken window electrical wiring was on the ground “consistent with someone harvesting copper wiring,” according to the report.
The property manager told investigators it was common for transients to steal copper wiring from inside the hangars. Torches are commonly used to burn away plastic insulation of electrical wires, according to the report.
Since the fire, Tustin has beefed up security at the hangars with more patrols, cameras and lighting. The Navy is also still cleaning up the burnt hangar site and that work is expected to continue through this year.