Winds Rip the Southland, Blow Pepsi’s Blimp to Bits : Gusts Hit 100 M.P.H. in Ontario

Hurricane-force winds battered Southern California this morning, shredding a blimp, ripping part of the roof from a building and closing the runways at Ontario Airport, knocking over trucks, toppling trees and fanning a brush fire started by arcing power lines.

At least 29,000 customers lost power before dawn as the cool, dry, winds blasted through areas below mountain canyons and passes at speeds as high as 100 m.p.h.

Police donned goggles to direct traffic as the winds whipped sand and dust into an opaque, tornado-like cloud between Ontario and San Bernardino, prompting a series of SigAlerts on Interstates 10 and 15 to warn of hazardous driving conditions.

Blimp Deflated

The Airships Inc. blimp, used by Pepsi Cola Co. to advertise its Pepsi and Slice soft drinks, was “literally blown to bits” at its moorings at the airport in Ontario, according to airport spokeswoman Angie Summers.

“Large pieces of it took off in the wind and proceeded to head toward Chino,” said airport Manager Michael DiGirolamo.

Little more than the nose cone of the airship remained attached to the mooring pole. The fabric of the blimp was reduced to ribbons and the gondola was dumped about 30 yards from the pole.

Summers said winds up to 100 m.p.h., blowing dust, sand and debris from the shredded airship on the main runways combined to force closure of the airport from 9 p.m. Wednesday until about 7:45 this morning.

She said at least 45 flights were delayed, canceled or diverted to other airports, such as Los Angeles International.

A section of roof was torn from an Ontario Airport building that houses a kitchen providing food for up to 100 flights a day out of the airport. “That means there’ll be no food on the flights going out this morning,” DiGirolamo said. Officials said later, however, that airlines expected to fill food orders through other suppliers.

David McMichael, shift manager at Marriott In-Flite Services plant, said a 300-square-foot slab was torn from the building at about 2 a.m.

“It went ‘BOOM,’ flew south and snapped off a telephone pole, knocking out power for about two hours,” he said.

Battalion Chief Jerry Hunter of the Orange County Fire Department said the 100-acre blaze in Trabuco Canyon was started by two arcing electrical wires at about 8:20 p.m. Wednesday.

He said it took about 220 firefighters from throughout the county about three hours to control the blaze, which briefly threatened about 50 homes in the Rose Canyon area.