Flights leaving and coming out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport were halted as of last Friday. The halt occurred due to a fire that had erupted in the airport.
Business at the busy O'Hare International Airport cam e to an abrupt standstill after all flights to and from the airport were halted. The temporary halt that grounded thousands of flights was due to a fire that had erupted within the airport's control room.
According to a statement from the spokes person of Chicago Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a man who had access to the building used gasoline to start the fire. The fire was soon extinguished after the fire department in Chicago was alerted of the fire.
It is reported in the Chicago Tribune that a man with self -inflicted stab wounds and burns was found in the basement of the building. Reports are yet to confirm his identity.
As of 9:30 a.m. ET, the fire had grounded 700 flights from Chicago Airport and 150 flights from the Midway Airport. The cancellations also caused an additional 400 delays in the flights leaving Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and a further 40 delays from Midway's airport as at 8:30 a.m. the delays and cancellations did not stop at the two Chicago airports.
"Sometimes the flight is coming from Chicago to Milwaukee and that plane goes elsewhere. And planes that were supposed to go out of Chicago to another city and come into Milwaukee can't get out," Pat Rowe, Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport explained.
Passenger of the cancelled flights took to social media to display their dissatisfaction with the pace of the airport recovery and the delayed service. The unfortunate incident occurred as bands and attendees were flying into Chicago for the Cold Waves Music Festival in Chicago.
Passengers flying out of Milwaukee are advised to check their airlines, not the airports.
