Fire damages boiler at Columbia Regional Airport

Sections of the Columbia Regional Airport are currently without heat after a fire happened in the airport’s boiler room on Saturday.

Most passengers in the airport did not notice any issues with the building’s temperature, but several could tell it was colder when they first walked in.

“I just noticed that it’s a little bit warmer down the hall than next to the doorway,” said Michael Johnson.

Parts of the terminal are currently being heated by space heaters.

Columbia Public Works officials say repairs to the terminal’s boiler room will cost between $20,000 and $30,000.

“We will have to rebuild the flue, which is fairly labor intensive and then we will have to replace some parts inside the boiler itself, but those numbers could change once they get inside and start doing the work,” said Public Works spokesman Steve Sapp. “Currently parts are on order and the contractor expects to complete repairs somewhere between 15 and 30 days. The city is self-insured, so we have our own division that handles these types of things and the money will come out of the insurance fund.”

Sapp says with the winter weather moving in for the weekend, passengers also need to check-in frequently with their air carrier, know the current flight status and plan ahead.