Via NY Post:
CHICAGO — All flights in and out of Chicago’s two airports were halted Friday after a fire at a suburban air traffic control center that authorities said was deliberately set by a contract employee.
The ground stoppage at two of the nation’s busiest airports sent delays and cancellations rippling through the US air travel network. More than 850 flights were canceled in Chicago alone, and many more cancellations were expected.
Authorities had no immediate information on a possible motive but emphasized that the Federal Aviation Administration contractor was authorized to be at the site and had no ties to terrorism.
The early morning fire forced the evacuation of the control center in Aurora, about 40 miles west of downtown Chicago. Emergency crews found the man suspected of setting the fire in the basement, where the blaze began, with self-inflicted knife wounds as well as burns to his body, said Thomas Ahern, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which was taking part in the investigation. He was taken to a hospital.
The man used gasoline as an accelerant, and there was fire damage to some wiring in the building, as well as water damage from the sprinkler system, Ahern said.