The huge hangars were 160 feet high, 1000+ feet long and 270 feet wide and built from Oregon of Oregon Douglas fir. The hangars, 313 military aircraft and 153 civilian aircraft stored inside, along with numerous government and private automobiles, were destroyed by wind forces and a fire during the hurricane that hit south Dade County on September 15, 1945.

An excellent source of information on the Naval Air Station and subsequent use is at: http://digitalcollections.fiu.edu/tequesta/files/1977/77_1_03.pdf