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All flights cancelled at Chicago airports due to 'deliberately set' fire All flights cancelled at Chicago airports due to 'deliberately set' fire
(35 minutes later)
All flights in and out of Chicago’s two airports were halted on Friday after a fire at a suburban air traffic control facility sent delays and cancellations rippling through the US air travel network. An early morning fire at a Chicago area air traffic control center grounded at least 850 planes on Friday, prompting a federal investigation into the man said by authorities to have started it deliberately.
Authorities said the blaze was intentionally set by a contract employee of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and had no ties to terrorism. More than 850 flights had been canceled in Chicago alone and many more were expected. The man, who authorities would not identify, was a contract employee with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which controlled the facility in Aurora, a Chicago suburb located about 40 miles south-west of O’Hare international airport.
The early morning fire forced the evacuation of the control center in Aurora, west of downtown Chicago. Emergency crews found the man suspected of setting the fire in the basement, where the blaze began, with a self-inflicted wound. He was taken to a hospital. Police said the man was injured, but said the incident was not terrorist related, nor did they classify it as a suicide attempt.
Aurora police chief Gregory Thomas said the fire was not a terrorist act. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and local police and fire departments were investigating. Dan Ferrelli, spokesperson with the Aurora police department, said the man was being treated at a local hospital for self-inflicted injuries that did not involve a gun. The fire, in a basement facility, was extinguished within the hour and there was no explosion.
When the center was evacuated, management of the region’s airspace was transferred to other facilities, according to FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory. “There is no reason to believe at this time it is terrorist related. It appears to be an isolated incident,” he said.
Authorities said it was unclear how long the stoppage would last. An investigation is under way involving the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FAA, and local police and fire. The man’s dark-colored SUV was removed from the site on a flatbed trailer.
Aurora spokesman Dan Ferrelli gave no details on the suspect’s injury, but said in an emailed statement that it was not from a gunshot. Between 15 and 30 people were evacuated and the only additional injury was a 50-year-old male who was treated and released at the scene for smoke inhalation. Fire officials say they responded to the fire at 5.42am.
Another employee of the facility was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. The flames were extinguished by 7am ET (1200 GMT), according to Ferrelli’s email. By late Friday morning, O’Hare reported more than 700 flight cancellations and airlines at Chicago Midway international airport reported more than 150 flight cancellations. Southwest Airlines has suspended all flights until at least noon.
Online radar images showed a gaping hole in the US air traffic map over the upper Midwest. The Chicago control center is the fifth busiest in the US, according to FAA data. It covers more than 90,000 square miles of the midwest.
At O’Hare’s Terminal 3, long lines formed at ticket counters as airlines continued to check in passengers. Authorities said it was unclear how long the stoppage would last. At O’Hare’s Terminal 3, long lines formed at ticket counters as airlines continued to check in passengers.
Waiting by an American Airlines counter, Jon Sciarrini said his homebound flight to Dallas had been delayed, and he did not know whether he should wait or try to arrange another flight.Waiting by an American Airlines counter, Jon Sciarrini said his homebound flight to Dallas had been delayed, and he did not know whether he should wait or try to arrange another flight.
“It’s pretty frustrating – a little like being in purgatory,” the IT specialist said. “It’s pretty frustrating – a little like being in purgatory,” the IT specialist told the Associated Press.
It was the second time since May that a problem at one of the Chicago area’s major control facilities prompted a ground stop at O’Hare and Midway international airports.It was the second time since May that a problem at one of the Chicago area’s major control facilities prompted a ground stop at O’Hare and Midway international airports.
In May, an electrical problem forced the evacuation of a regional radar facility in suburban Elgin. A bathroom exhaust fan overheated and melted insulation on some wires, sending smoke through the facility’s ventilation system and into the control room.In May, an electrical problem forced the evacuation of a regional radar facility in suburban Elgin. A bathroom exhaust fan overheated and melted insulation on some wires, sending smoke through the facility’s ventilation system and into the control room.
That site was evacuated for three hours, and more than 1,100 flights were canceled.That site was evacuated for three hours, and more than 1,100 flights were canceled.
The Aurora facility, known as an enroute center, handles aircraft flying at high altitudes, including those approaching or leaving Chicago airports. Air traffic closer to the airports is handled by a different facility and by the control towers located at the airfields.The Aurora facility, known as an enroute center, handles aircraft flying at high altitudes, including those approaching or leaving Chicago airports. Air traffic closer to the airports is handled by a different facility and by the control towers located at the airfields.
A computer glitch at a similar facility on the West Coast in April forced a 45-minute shutdown at Los Angeles international airport.A computer glitch at a similar facility on the West Coast in April forced a 45-minute shutdown at Los Angeles international airport.
The Associated Press contributed to this report