After nearly a month, fire officials declared the North Hangar fire in Tustin officially extinguished as the city’s mayor called on the Navy to take more accountability.
But those who live near the hangar said their families are the ones hurting without any answers of next steps or financial assistance.
The 17-story wooden WWII hangar on a former military base, owned by the Navy, caught fire on Nov. 7. After a night of fighting the fire from ground and air, the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) deemed it too dangerous for their personnel and decided to let it burn. The hangar reignited several times in the following two weeks, smoldering until Dec. 1.
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On Nov. 9, the EPA confirmed that debris was testing positive for asbestos and other dangerous chemicals and a debris reporting portal set up by the city revealed debris was reaching schools and homes in about a three-mile radius.
“This is about a pound's worth, maybe over a pound's worth, of hanger debris that I have picked up myself, just kind of wearing a bunny suit and respirator and gloves,” Columbus Square homeowner Deniz Erkan told NBC4 on Monday, as he held a tied trash bag with what he said were pieces of the building.
Columbus Square is directly across the street from the hangar. So close, Erkan could see it clearly from his bedroom window.
“My wife and our two small children, they're three and seven,” he said, “We woke up that morning with just congestion and coughing. I had a headache. The headache didn't go away for a couple of days.”
Erkan explained that they close their windows, but waited days for the city to give guidance. He eventually decided to take his family to an Airbnb that cost him near $3,000.
When they went back home after a week, Erkan said he then paid more than $2,000 to have a remediation company test the inside of his home.
“And they did show asbestos in some areas of my property and so now we are trying to research on our own what that means, because the guidance we got from the government was if you're concerned, do your own testing, and essentially, you're on your own,” he exclaimed.
About a mile away in Tustin Field I, residents didn’t find many big pieces of debris, but they’re extremely worried about the chemical exposure to their properties and homes.
“What we're more concerned about is the small invisible fibers that a walkthrough inspection is not going to detect and that's why I keep asking when are we going to get more detailed testing sampling of the soil, sampling of the grass, sampling of plant material, and swabbing of some of the windows and the window screens closer to the corner of our community facing the hanger. Only then will we really be reassured that we genuinely did have a narrow escape,” explained Ben Savill, resident and HOA president of Tustin Field I.
“We have 76 affordable housing units. We have six homes here that are for the Salvation Army for transitional housing. We have people that couldn't afford to do indoor testing,” he added.
The hangar fire’s incident management team said in an update Sunday that the contracted certified asbestos consultants (CAC) and mitigation teams received 964 debris reports. Of those, 630 have been inspected and 460 have been mitigated and cleared. This is funding from emergency declaration from both the city and county, as well as the Navy.
Moving forward, the city will continue outdoor debris clean up in neighborhoods, but said the hangar remediation is now the Navy’s responsibility, stating in their update that they applied Gorilla Snot soil and dust control agent– to stop any debris from traveling in the wind.
On Monday, Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard told NBC4 that it’s time for the Navy to step up and take accountability, clarifying that it’s not the city’s responsibility to financially cover the costs.
“It's not helpful for us residents here because we are stuck here,” Erkan said.
“That may be the Navy's property, but this here is the city,” he exclaimed. “As residents, longtime residents and taxpayers, we are looking for the city and the county to step up and protect us and treat this like a public health emergency not just a nuisance.”
Many residents also worry that the city has hired an outside attorney, they say have been attending all of the city’s meetings.
Mayor Lumbard said they did hire special counsel to help them with negotiations with the Navy and it is routine for any municipality.
NBC 4 did not receive a response from the Navy Monday, but a spokesperson said in a an email to NBC4 on Nov. 13: “A $1 million dollar contract has been awarded to the city of Tustin. The immediate health and safety requirements of local residents are the Navy’s top priority, and the focus of the initial contract award. Additional funds may be required to complete the cleanup and remediation process, but overall cost requirements are still being determined.”
The city-contracted Innovative Emergency Management (IEM) brought in equipment and prepared to start bringing the hangar doors down Thursday morning. It said the Navy would then be responsible for removing the doors from the property.
Tuesday night, Lumbard said in a special meeting that he’s been asking for Gov. Gavin Newsom and federal agencies such as the Navy and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help since Nov. 10. The city council passed a motion to double pressure on agencies to help.
Echoing the mayor, California Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, who represents the area, sent a letter to the Navy on Tuesday.
"Two things need to happen; Number one, they need to expand the scope of the cleanup efforts that are underway in individual homes and in small businesses," Petrie-Norris said. "Number two … they do need to create a fund that then people can submit claims and claim the expenses that they have already incurred."
A spokesperson for the Navy told NBC4 in a phone conversation that the city is the lead agency in helping the community. He said they are currently negotiating more funding and what it will cover. Help for families, however, will likely have to go through an inter-agency solution.
