Summary
- A fire broke out in a parking garage at Charlotte Douglas Airport, injuring three people.
- The fire brigade was able to bring the fire under control, but the parking lot remains closed for ventilation and smoke reasons.
- This is the second fire incident at the airport in recent months. Operations were not affected.
Passengers and onlookers were shocked to see the North Carolina parking garage engulfed in flames. Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Saturday morning. Plumes of smoke triggered two alarms and the Charlotte Fire Department was dispatched to the scene. Multiple reports said several cars were on fire and three people were injured, one of whom was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.
Firefighters worked with airport operations and hazardous materials teams to control the fuel outflow and bring the fire under control. However, due to ventilation and smoke issues, the parking area remains closed, including the hourly parking deck, valet parking and the upper level of the departure lane, as advised by airport staff under X.
Smoke clouds visible from the runway
According to witnesses, black smoke could be seen from the runway for the parking garage fire. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control within ten minutes of arriving on scene. As a precaution, a second alarm was raised so more firefighters could be dispatched to the airport. Airport operations continued uninterrupted as incoming and outgoing flights were not affected; however, parking delays are expected. According to the Charlotte Fire Department, 60 firefighters were dispatched to the airport to fight the fire.
Photo: Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport remains one of the busiest airports on the American East Coast. It is still a 
American Airlines hub (as a result of the 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 to most major U.S. cities and to a number of international destinations in North America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
Second fire within a few months
This is the second fire on the airport property in less than two months. In June, the Charlotte Fire Department was called to Josh Birmingham Parkway at 8:10 a.m., where a fire broke out in the airport’s historic control tower. Four construction workers were temporarily trapped during the fire but escaped unharmed. Investigators looking into the cause of the fire determined that the elevator shaft caught fire. The fire may have been caused by molten slag that may have fallen into the shaft and onto an insulation pipe.
Photo: Charlotte Douglas International Airport
The control tower, owned by the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority), will be demolished and replaced with a new tower as the airport undergoes a $3.1 billion capital program. A new 370-foot tower, built by Archer Western, will begin its new life in Charlotte in 2022.
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