The FAA issued ground stops at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Dallas Love Field (DAL) on Wednesday afternoon after the DFW Tracon was evacuated due to smoke in the building. It has been reported that Tracon controllers were temporarily relocated to DFW’s two towers and were able to resume limited service. DFW Airport Police and Fire (DPS) personnel responded to the alarm at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time.
“Air traffic controllers were forced to evacuate from the DFW Terminal Radar Approach Control, which manages airspace across most of North Texas, after a report of smoke in the building, possibly from ongoing construction work,” an FAA spokesperson said. According to the FAA, controllers were able to return to their posts shortly before 2:00 p.m. after DPS was able to clear the smoke from the building. The ground stop lasted over an hour and resulted in several flights being diverted, delayed or canceled.
