FAA issues brief ground stop at Charlotte airport due to poor visibility from wildfires

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration issued a one-hour ground stop Tuesday morning at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport because of low visibility from the western North Carolina wildfires and fog.

At 7:36 a.m., the FAA tweeted the flow of incoming planes into the airport was slowed or stopped.

Then at 8:22, the order was lifted. The airport said to check with airlines on flight status.

Also, the National Weather Service issued a Dense Fog Advisory until 9 a.m. Tuesday as patchy and dense fog lingered in the region. The Charlotte metro area is also under a Code Orange Air Quality Alert because of smoke blown in from wildfires.

Fifteen active fires have engulfed 46,803 acres, according to the National Forest Service on Monday, according to InciWeb, the national incident information system for wildfires. Around 1,600 firefighters are battling blazes that have cost more than $10 million, state officials said.

Gov. Pat McCrory visited Lake Lure on Monday to inspect damage from the Party Rock Fire, which had spread to 3,457 acres and was only 15 percent contained.

The Party Rock Fire has forced about 1,000 people to evacuate Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Bat Cave and Rumbling Bald Resort, officials said.

On Monday night, a firefighter was injured when his ATV flipped while surveying fire lines in the Party Rock Fire, officials said. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The biggest fire is the Tellico Fire, which has consumed 13,676 acres and was 68 percent contained through Monday night.