An air traffic control tower caught on fire on Thursday morning at Charlotte Douglas international airport in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The fire broke out at about 8.10am at the airport’s old air traffic control tower on Josh Birmingham Parkway, according to the Charlotte fire department. Videos posted on social media showed dark heavy smoke billowing in the air.
STRUCTURE FIRE: 5500 Josh Birmingham Pkwy. At approximately 8:10 AM Charlotte Fire responded to a structure fire at the 5500 block Josh Birmingham Parkway (the old FAA tower) Upon our arrival heavy smoke was visible. We learned four construction workers were trapped by the… pic.twitter.com/XYhYIdkyQj
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) June 20, 2024
Four construction workers were trapped by the smoke but were eventually able to self-evacuate and did not require medical attention, the fire department said, adding that the fire was controlled in 10 minutes. A second alarm was triggered out of an abundance of caution, according to officials.
Airport operations were not affected as the fire occurred in the old air traffic control tower.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
