An unused air traffic control tower caught fire at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport during demolition Thursday when investigators say molten slag from ongoing work inside the tower fell on insulation stacked foam
Four construction workers were briefly trapped inside the tower after it caught fire around 8:10 a.m., and all four were able to escape the building under their own power and did not require medical treatment, according to reports of the Charlotte Fire Department. it went to second alarm but was brought under control within 10 minutes after firefighters arrived to see heavy smoke coming from the tower.
The tower, owned by the Federal Aviation Authority, was being demolished after construction and commissioning of a new tower, built as the airport pursues its $3.1 billion capital expansion program.
The new 370-foot-tall tower began operations in 2022 and was built by Archer Western, which, according to a 2016 FAA announcement, was also responsible for the demolition of the old tower, as well as the equipment, installation and training costs.
