Atlanta airport tower briefly evacuated after lightning strike; employees are resuming work

Ga. airport tower evacuated after lightning strike

ATLANTA — A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman says an Atlanta airport tower was briefly evacuated after a lightning strike, but workers are now heading back inside.

FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen says the workers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were evacuated at 8:49 p.m. Thursday after a smoky odor was detected in the tower during a thunderstorm. She says arrivals and departures had already been suspended because of the storm and wind shear.

She says that all equipment has been restarted except the airport’s ground radar system, but that the airport can operate without it. She says arrivals are resuming and departures were expected to resume about 9:30 p.m.