THUNDER BAY – A fire that broke out in the area of the Thunder Bay Airport early Friday evening was the result of decommissioning work on an inactive aircraft at Confederation College’s Aviation Centre of Excellence.
The blaze did not result in any injuries or loss of property, the college said in a statement.
The fire broke out around 4:10 p.m. as workers with GFL Environmental decommissioned a DC-9 aircraft used by the college as a static learning aid for students in its Aircraft Maintenance, Flight Management, and Travel and Tourism programs.
GFL was in the final stages of a week-long decommissioning of the craft when, the college said, “some of the aircraft’s remaining debris caught fire and a tire on the landing gear assembly ruptured.”
Airport Authority first responders arrived quickly on the scene and extinguished what the college described as a small fire. Thunder Bay Fire Rescue crews also responded, arriving after the fire was extinguished.
The aircraft was donated to Confederation College in 2003 by Air Canada for the opening of the Aviation Centre of Excellence. The college moved to dismantle it this year, saying it had reached the end of its lifespan.
