A fire broke out at the new Oklahoma Aviation Academy building construction site at Max Westheimer Airport around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday.
Norman Deputy Fire Chief Joel Chesser confirmed to OU Daily Tuesday the fire was confined to the new construction and had been put out.
“It was just contained to a portion of the roof and looks like it just burned some surface materials,” Chesser said. “The structure will be fine.”
Norman Public Schools broke ground on the building October 2024. Construction is set to be completed by spring or summer 2026.
The Oklahoma Aviation Academy was established in 2022 in partnership with OU, Moore Norman Technology Center and other private and public partners. The academy provides a curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. It offers hands-on experience and industry connections in aviation and aerospace industries.
According to Chesser, firefighters were on scene for about 10 minutes before they gained control of the fire.
“It was probably 10 minutes of activity and probably five minutes before we got there to actually get units assigned to it,” Chesser said.
According to Chesser, OU fire marshals are currently investigating the cause of the fire.
This story was edited by Macey Thaxton. Kylie Caldwell and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
