Air Traffic Control - Chicago

[wsantia1]

There's been a fire in a the ATC center in No. Illinois causing major issues at O'Hare and Midway in Chicago along with flight passing through and over.  Quite a mess. Fire was deliberately set.

[Mugwump]

(CNN) -- A contract employee at a Chicago-area air traffic control center apparently set a fire and tried to kill himself, officials said Friday, shutting the facility and stopping all flights at the world's second-busiest airport.

The bizarre situation has resulted in a "ground stop," triggering the cancellation of more than 700 flights at O'Hare International Airport and more than 150 at nearby Midway Airport, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.

The employee was being treated after suffering self-inflicted wounds, and police said the incident wasn't related to terrorism. A 50-year-old man at the FAA facility, which controls air traffic for a giant swath of the Midwest, was treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said. Investigators with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene.
Man reportedly slit wrists, set fire

The stoppages have the potential to create a nightmare ripple effect for travelers flying to O'Hare, which serves more than 1,000 flights each day. Last year, it handled 883,000 takeoffs and landings, ranking it as the second-busiest airport on the planet, according to Airports Council International.

The closure affected so many flights because the center controls planes not just flying in and out of Chicago, but also those flying long-distance routes to other regions, raising the potential for thousands of flight delays nationwide.

It lit up social media with complaints by travelers like @JoeMFox who tweeted, "I'm starting to consider whether a five-hour drive would get me there faster than United. #ohare"

In a typical backup plan for a disabled FAA center, the FAA could assign air traffic control authority to FAA centers in other cities, such as Indianapolis, Cleveland, Minneapolis or Kansas City. The O'Hare ground stop has potential repercussions for flights approaching Chicago from across the Atlantic or Pacific. For those airliners, limited fuel would be a concern, as they near the end of their long-distance routes. They could be redirected to other airports