Tustin Hangar Fire: Community Update

The City has been closely monitoring details related to the Tustin Hangar Fire, paying particular attention to any possible health concerns and impacts for Irvine. During the past several days, City representatives have maintained close contact with the County of Orange, the Orange County Health Care Agency, the Orange County Fire Authority, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, all in an effort to understand if any safety risks exist while also keeping apprised of ongoing mitigation response efforts. City personnel have also been in close contact with our partners at the Irvine Unified School District regarding the situation to ensure that we are properly coordinating our local response.

Of particular importance, no health risks or impacts have been identified for Irvine. The Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) has not issued any public health orders or declared a public health emergency in response to the Tustin Hangar Fire, and there is no recommendation by OCHCA to cancel outdoor sporting events or outdoor activities. Guidance by health care authorities has indicated that the events and activities should only be canceled at locations where there is a known and confirmed presence of visible ash or particulates from the Tustin Hangar Fire. 

Given that guidance, the City has deployed appropriate response measures to ensure community safety. City staff have been out monitoring our facilities, including sports fields and parks, and we have not seen indications of debris or ash at Irvine facilities. This is consistent with our expectations following the Santa Ana wind conditions from last week when strong winds were blowing in a south-westwardly direction and pushing fire residue from the Tustin Hangar Fire away from Irvine.

In an effort to further ensure the safety of our community, for the areas of Irvine on the western edge of our community located closest to the Tustin Hangar Fire, this week, the City will be deploying additional monitoring and testing activities utilizing independent third-party firms to assess if any additional response activities are necessary.  Those efforts involve the following activities:

• The City has identified a perimeter within the community located near Irvine’s border with Tustin, as follows:
  • South of the I-5 Freeway
  • North of the I-405 Freeway
  • West of Culver
  • East of the City boundary
     
• Within that perimeter, the City manages 9 parks, including:
  • Col. Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park
  • College Park
  • Flagstone Park
  • Harvard Community Park
  • Plaza Park
  • San Marco Park
  • San Carlo Park
  • San Leandro Park
  • Sweet Shade Park
     
• The City will be deploying enhanced monitoring of those 9 parks to monitor for any indications of ash and debris from the Tustin Hangar Fire.
   
• In addition, the City will be conducting additional environmental testing at each of the 9 park locations starting this next week to monitor for possible safety concerns.

The City is closely assessing this overall situation and we will be sure to keep the entire community informed if conditions should change.  In addition, for more information about the Tustin Hangar Fire incident, including recurring updates and Orange County Health Care Agency guidance, please visit the County of Orange’s incident website online at ocgov.com/tustin.

_{Photo courtesy of DigiPulse}