Investigators in South Carolina are searching for clues to the cause of a fire that destroyed a hangar at Greenville Downtown Airport (KGMU) and several aircraft within, including a Cessna Citation V Ultra. According to Robert Hoover, the airport’s public relations director, the fire occurred in the early morning on Monday and caused the roof on the 10,000-sq-ft hangar—managed by Special Service Corporation (SSC)—to collapse. He added that the fire did not disrupt operations at the dedicated general aviation airport.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze in a matter of hours, but crews are still attempting to stabilize the structure on the southeast side of the field. Investigators need to enter the hangar to determine what started the conflagration.
SSC—which provides aircraft management, charter, and maintenance, and is slowly developing its FBO services at KGMU—told AIN that the aircraft casualties included the aforementioned Citation and a Cirrus SR-22 from the company's managed fleet, as well as a pair of Diamond airplanes that were in for maintenance. The company, which is looking to obtain a larger location at the airport to build a new FBO, still has another 10,000-sq-ft hangar, as well as a 12,000-sq-ft temporary aircraft shelter.
KGMU—which has a 5,394-foot runway—is home to nearly 20 business jets and sees approximately 230 operations per day.