Photo By Senior Airman Paige Weldon | Civilians from the 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron position a scissor lift inside the...... read more read more
Subscribe
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. — A fire began in the ceiling of McConnell Air Force Base’s innovation lab after a suspected lightning strike during a severe thunderstorm across south-central Kansas, June 3, 2025.
The storm also brought historic flooding and other damages to the lab in the Stearman Aircraft Company hangar, one of the base’s oldest buildings.
The 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron fire department received an alert from the building’s carbon monoxide detection system. Upon arrival, they noticed the presence of smoke throughout the facility and quickly escalated the response efforts.
Additional crews were dispatched to aid in controlling the fire. Fire protection Airmen cut away areas of the drop ceiling to fully uncover the fire and promptly extinguish it. Additionally, a small hole was cut in the ceiling to vent the area.
Once the fire was extinguished, crews verified the safety of the building to allow others to enter and clear the building of belongings and begin an investigation to verify the cause of the fire.
Piles of saturated ceiling tiles, insulation and miscellaneous charred materials littered the floor of the building. Water poured in from the hole in the ceiling as well as the open windows and doors as the storm raged outside.
“All the projects we are currently working on have come to a standstill,” said Capt. Timothy Schwanke, 22nd ARW innovation lab chief. “We’re not able to use equipment until the area is sealed off and repaired.”
The staff worked from the 22nd Security Forces Squadron’s combat arms training and maintenance building until regaining access to the hangar June 10, 2025. Currently, the building’s power remains shut off as salvage and overhaul operations take place.
“The clean-up and repair process has been quick so far,” Schwanke said. “Originally we believed the process would take six to nine months, and now it’s looking more like one to two.”
The hangar has a rich history and has served a variety of purposes since its construction in 1929.
Originally, it was a part of the Wichita Municipal Airport and was built by the Stearman Aircraft Company for sales, service and storage of their aircraft.
In the 1950s, the Air Force took over the airport and surrounding area during the construction of McConnell, which eventually led to their acquisition of the hangar.
In modern years, the hangar has been used by the Kansas Air National Guard and Civil Air Patrol. It is currently the base’s innovation lab, equipped with a wide array of machines that have contributed to notable innovations, such as a remote start system for the KC-46A Pegasus.
Roughly a third of the building, consisting mostly of metal fabrication machines, was damaged by the fire and will remain closed until all the equipment is thoroughly inspected.
The lab’s staff and McConnell’s innovative Airmen wait for power to be restored so they can resume improving and developing their latest ideas to increase readiness and lethality force wide.
The Stearman hangar has been a staple of history in Wichita for nearly a century and will hopefully continue to serve the ever-changing mission and advancements of both the Air Force and aviation for many years to come.
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2025 13:42 |
| Story ID: | 500567 |
| Location: | MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Historic hangar damaged during fire caused by suspected lightning strike, by SrA Paige Weldon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
