Visitors to Central Park, in Andover, KS, were surprised to see thick, dark smoke billowing from the park’s cell phone tower. Firefighters were called to the scene to douse the fire and combat the smoke. As KAKE-TV reports, no one was injured, and the cell tower remained standing. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
T-Mobile owns the damaged tower and has said that other nearby towers have been able to compensate and receive and relay phone signals. Some residents have said that their service has been fine, while others have said they believe that the fire has had a negative impact on their connectivity.
While the fire was burning, the park was cleared and a neighboring office building was evacuated. The affected section of the park remains closed.
Speaking as the public information officer for the City of Andover, Megan Schapaugh said that the fire was reported and extinguished quickly and is unlikely to cause the tower to topple. A structural engineer is being dispatched to assess the state of the cell tower.
The unexpected fire caught both residents and city officials off-guard. “I was shocked for sure,” confirmed park visitor Hal Larcher to KAKE-TV.
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