After an electrical fire cut power to the entire Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday, many wondered what caused that fire. Airport and Georgia Power officials released an official statement Tuesday evening.
However, two days without facts left room for speculation and rumors to spread.
Initially, people speculated that the power outage was the result of a terrorist attack. Sunday evening, officials said they did not have evidence that would suggest that terrorists were to blame. However, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said because the incident was still under investigation, terrorism cannot be ruled out.
Fire damage to the Atlanta's Airport
Monday, NBC News alluded to a claim that a rat was to blame. Correspondent Kerry Sanders said unnamed authorities believed that "that there may have been an intruder that got to one of the wires leading to the switch and it was frayed. It's highly possible, they say, that it was gnawed on by rat."
Brian Williams on MSBNC also alluded to a possible rodent cause for the power outage.
Hartsfield-Jackson officials said the rat rumor is simply not true. Airport spokesman Reese McCranie told 11Alive's Doug Richards that those reports are "crap."
Georgia Power also addressed the rat claim telling 11Alive, "We have no evidence to support the “rat rumors” that continue to circulate for some reason. We anticipate that our thorough investigation could take several weeks. The fire caused extensive damage to the equipment involved, which requires careful and detailed analysis."
In a statement released Tuesday evening, the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department in partnership with the Atlanta Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force said that it was determined that the fire was caused by "an electrical failure inside of a switchgear box located in the long below-grade tunnel which runs beneath the airport concourses. A subsequent intense arc flash ignited surrounding insulation and other combustibles inside the box.”
They also reiterated that there is no evidence of foul play "at this stage of the investigation."
This is what we do know:
WHAT HAPPENED: There was a fire at one of three Georgia Power's substations at the airport, however, two of those three substations provide power the airport, Reed said. At about 1:06 p.m., a power outage occurred.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE IMPACTED? About 30,000 people were affected by the power outage at the airport, Reed said.
WHY WASN'T THERE A BACK-UP? Reed stressed that there are redundant systems in place at the airport, but said the switch that activates that system was damaged by the flames.
