Police: Fire at Aurora Traffic Control Tower Not Act of Terrorism

Photo Credit: CBS News Video

A fire at an Federal Aviation Administration radar center in Aurora this morning is grounding several flights in and out of Midway and O’Hare airports.

Between 15 and 30 employees were evacuated from the FAA tower, located in the 600 block of West Indian Trail in Aurora, after a fire broke out around 5:40 a.m. in the basement of the facility, according to the Daily Herald.

A male employee was found with self-inflicted wounds that did not involve a gunshot in the basement. according to an Aurora Police Department press release. Police believe this same man set the fire. He has been transported to an Aurora hospital.

Another employee was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, the Daily Herald reports.

“This apparently is an isolated incident and there are no indications of terrorism at this time,” Aurora police said Friday morning.

The control center was closed following the incident and hundreds of flights in and out of Midway and O’Hare airports have been cancelled or delayed, the Chicago Tribune reports. The FAA was not allowing any planes in the United States that were set to cross the Midwest to depart until 10 a.m. Friday, according to the article.

The incident remains under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives’; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the FAA; and Aurora police and fire.

You can check the status of your flight at flightaware.com.

Read more on the Chicago Tribune