Summary Charlotte Douglas Airport experienced a multi-story car park fire, injuring three individuals. Firefighters contained the blaze, but the parking area remains closed due to ventilation and smoke concerns. This is the second fire incident at the airport in recent months; operations were unaffected.
Passengers and onlookers were shocked to witness the multi-story car park on fire at North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Saturday morning. Plumes of smoke raised two alarms, and the Charlotte Fire Department was deployed to the scene. Various reports identified multiple cars on fire, and three people were injured, one of whom was taken to a local hospital for further observation.
Firefighters worked with the airport operations and hazmat teams to manage fuel runoff and control the blaze. However, due to ventilation and smoke conditions, the parking area will remain closed. This includes the hourly parking deck, valet parking, and the upper level of the departure roadway, as advised by airport staff on X .
Smoke plumes seen from the runway Witness accounts recall black smoke being visible from the runway for the blaze in the parking building. Within ten minutes of firefighters arriving on the scene, they were able to contain the blaze. As a precaution, a second alarm was raised to enable more resources to be deployed to the airport.
Airport operations were unhindered as it did not affect arriving and departing flights; however, parking delays are expected. According to the Charlotte Fire Department , 60 firefighters were deployed to the airport to fight the blaze. Get all the latest aviation news for North America here Charlotte Douglas International Airport remains one of the busiest airports on America's East Coast.
It remains an American Airlines hub (as a result of its merger with US Airways, which maintained extensive operations at the airport). The airport has four runways (18L/36R, 18C/36C, 18R/36L, and 05/23) and maintains operations in most major US cities and a number of international destinations in North America, the Caribbean, and Europe. Second fire in a matter of months This is the second fire on the airport's grounds in less than two months.
In June, the Charlotte Fire Department was summoned to Josh Birmingham Parkway at 08:10, where a fire broke out in the airport's historic control tower. Four construction workers were temporarily trapped during the blaze but escaped unharmed. Investigators into the cause of the blaze identified that the elevator shaft caught fire, and it may have been due to molted slag that may have fallen down the shaft and onto an insulation pipe.
The control tower, owned by the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority), is being demolished to be replaced by a new tower as the airport undergoes a $3.1 billion capital expansion program. A new 370-ft-tall tower began its new life in Charlotte in 2022 , constructed by Archer Western.
Unsurprisingly, most of these routes are to sunny tropical destinations. Get all the latest aviation news for North America here.
