An early-morning blaze on airport property near John Glenn Columbus International Airport landed a Columbus firefighter in the hospital on Friday, after a stubborn fire tore through a storage building and kept crews on scene for hours chasing hotspots.
The fire broke out around 2:35 a.m. on Hamilton Road in a storage building that previously served as an aircraft hangar, according to WBNS. Battalion Chief Scott Sanders told the station that firefighters from Columbus, Whitehall and Gahanna responded to the scene. There was no immediate update on the injured firefighter’s condition.
Flights Not Disrupted
Despite the dramatic response just off airport grounds, operations at John Glenn Columbus International appeared to keep moving. Data from FlightAware showed no widespread delays or cancellations tied to the incident.
The Columbus Regional Airport Authority notes that on-airport aircraft rescue and firefighting are coordinated closely with on-site partners, a setup that helps keep flights running even when something goes wrong nearby.
Heavy Fire Response, One Injured
Roughly 75 firefighters from Columbus, Whitehall and Gahanna ultimately swarmed the scene, according to WBNS. One member of the Columbus Division of Fire was taken to a hospital for treatment as crews battled the flames.
Firefighters knocked down the bulk of the blaze but expected to remain at the site for several hours to overhaul hotspots and sift through debris while investigators worked to determine what sparked the fire, the station reported.
Why Hangars Present Special Hazards
Aircraft hangars and older hangars converted into storage are not your average warehouse fires. Fuel sources, wide-open interiors and specialized equipment can all make these buildings tougher to tame once flames get a foothold.
Fire protection in such structures is guided by standards like NFPA 409, which in recent years has shifted toward a more risk-based approach to fire suppression, according to the National Air Transportation Association. Those code differences help explain why firefighters often stick around long after the obvious flames are out, making sure nothing flares back up.
As of Friday morning, investigators had not identified a cause, and officials had not released additional details. Columbus authorities said further updates would come as the investigation moves forward.
