Fire Destroys Hangar Where Star Trek and Austin Powers Were Filmed

The World War 2 Tustin Hangar was one of two iconic structures featured in numerous films and tv shows.

November 7, 2023, 7:14pm

Tustin, CA – November 07: A fire continues to burn at the north hangar at the former Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin early Tuesday morning, November 7, 2023. More than 70 Orange County firefighters battled the fire which began after midnight. It is one of two 17-story-high hangars that were built in 1942 during World War II, and are two of the largest wooden structures ever constructed. They were named historic civil engineering landmarks in 1993.

A massive fire at the former Tustin Air Base in Tustin, California has destroyed a World War 2 era hangar where many film and television series have been shot, including Star Trek, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Pearl Harbor, and The X-Files. According to Deadline, firefighters are continuing to battle the blaze and responded to the scene after 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, finding flames tearing through the roof of the wooden structure. According to the website Tustin hangars, the hangar is one of two and are two of the largest wooden structures ever built. Both hangars are listed on the Register of National Historic Places.

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According to the Los Angeles Times, the hangar, which is an Orange County landmark that dates back to 1942, will eventually be demolished following the blaze. An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway. Officials say that the fire could burn for several hours if not several days.

The hangar continues to burn with collapse of sections at a time. Because of extremely dangerous conditions, firefighters will monitor to ensure the fire remains contained. Firefighters will remain on scene and in the area throughout the day. Smoke will be seen – if you >>> pic.twitter.com/dFEzxY1nmE
— OCFA PIO (@OCFireAuthority) November 7, 2023

“It’s a sad day for the city of Tustin, for all of Orange County,” Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy said.

The pair of hangars were built for the now defunct Tustin Naval Air Station in World War 2 and originally housed 12 blimps used for submarine patrol. Each individual hangar is so large that it was reported that it would be possible to play a basketball game, a football game, and a soccer match simultaneously in one building. The Air Station was closed in 1999. There had been concerns about damage to the structures in recent years and plans to turn the site in to a park fell through in 2021. The city of Tustin began a $330,000 cleanup effort of the former base in 2022 and were looking into plans to turn the base into a mixed-use development. Per the LA Times, some of the former base has already been developed into a shopping center, office buildings, and residence.

“This is not the end for what we call the north hangar that was envisioned,” Tustin Mayor Austin Lumbard said. “It’s not the dignified treatment that it deserves.”