Control tower at Charlotte Airport catches fire; 4 construction workers briefly 'trapped,' officials say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) – A 2-alarm fire was reported at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport's old FAA control tower Thursday morning, authorities confirmed.

The Charlotte Fire Department responded to calls regarding the incident around 8:10 a.m. Emergency crews arrived to find "heavy smoke" coming from the tower, the department said.

An image from the scene, shared by Charlotte Fire, appeared to show the smoke billowing from the upper half of the structure, partially enveloping the windowed cab at the top of the tower.

The department added that four construction workers were inside the building when the fire broke out and were briefly "trapped," but all "self-evacuated and did not require medical attention."

The blaze was extinguished about 10 minutes after fire crews arrived, Charlotte Fire said.

The cause of the fire was not disclosed. An investigation is underway.

The airport, meanwhile, was unaffected by Thursday morning's fire. CLT had opened a new FAA control tower in 2022, to house new workspaces and technology.