Plans changed fast for travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Wednesday night. A parked van caught fire outside the South Curb, forcing drivers and families to shift routes.
🚦 Why It Matters: Pickup lanes can shut without warning. Quick updates help you avoid delays and stay safe.
🚒 What’s Happening:
- Officials say smoke showed around 7:33 p.m. from the glove box of a van at the South Curb.
- Atlanta Fire Rescue says crews put the fire out fast. No one was hurt.
- Airport staff moved traffic to the South Lower Level and guided people away from the scene.
- The airport says flights and terminal operations stayed normal.
🕒 What’s New:
- Timeline, according to the airport:
- 7:33 p.m.: Smoke reported at the South Curb.
- About 10:30 p.m.: Upper deck reopened after the van was removed.
🧩 What’s Unclear: Investigators have not said what started the fire.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
