Eight Planes Destroyed, Two Others Damaged

Fire destroyed the only hangar at Monmouth (IL) Municipal Airport (C66) Friday. Eight airplanes stored in the hangar were destroyed, while two others were damaged in the blaze.

C66 is the oldest operational airport in the state of Illinois.

The Monmouth Fire Department said in a news release posted on Facebook that it received a report of smoke coming from the hangar shortly before 0600 local time Friday morning. The smoke was coming from the hangar and main office. On arrival at the airport, the department found that the hangar had become fully involved.

The fire was isolated to the main structure. Assistance from nearby fire departments as requested by the Monmouth agency.

The aircraft housed in the hangar were valued at $750,000. The building and eight of the aircraft were determined to be total losses.

The fire was contained in about three hours according to the release. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Illinois State Fire Marshal.

Television station KWQC reports Monmouth Mayor Rod Davis said the airport contributes about $6 million annually to the local economy. Davis said that the airport is operational, but access to fuel and communications has been lost. The hangar also contained years of documents in the operations office.

Mayor Davis said that city officials met with state officials last week to talk about a new hangar and operations center. He said that the fire is likely to accelerate that plan.

(Image provided by the Monmouth Fire Department)

FMI: Source report
News release