Chicago airports grounded after fire at suburban air traffic control facility

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Flights into and out of the Midwest have been thrown into a tailspin after a fire at a suburban Chicago traffic control center.

Planes are grounded at both Chicago O'Hare and Midway Airports, two extremely busy airfields, after a man was found with 'self-inflicted non-gunshot' wounds when a fire was reported Friday morning in the basement of the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora, Illinois, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The regional center is run by the Federal Aviation Administration and controls much of air traffic in upper midwestern states. Between 7 to 11 a.m., 124 flights out of Chicago had been cancelled, according to the website FlightAware.

Flights are being held until at least 10 a.m. Central Time following the 5:40 a.m. fire at the facility, which directs traffic through much of the Midwest. The stoppage is causing ripples across the country, altering flights at other airports, including Gerald Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Mich., which has also ordered a ground-stop following the blaze.

The New York saw six flights cancelled and nearly 30 delayed. Twelve flights in Washington, D.C were cancelled.

One employee at the Illinois facility was treated for smoke inhalation, while 15 to 30 employees in the building were evacuated, the Tribune reported.

The fire has been put out, and authorities are investigating how it started.

The condition of the man with wounds is unknown, though he has been taken to a local hospital, officials told the newspaper.

Terminal 1 at O'Hare was evacuated for two hours Wednesday when authorities investigated an unattended bag, later cleared.

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sgoldstein@nydailynews.com

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