Fire-Retardant System Activates In Hendrick Hangar

An alert ANN News-Spy (we've been using that phrase a lot lately -- we love our News-Spies!) called our attention to a decidedly foamy situation Tuesday in -- and around -- the Hendrick Motorsports hangar at Concord Regional Airport.

For an as-yet undetermined reason, the building's fire extinguishing system activated -- shooting foam flame retardant on the floor... the planes... the people... pretty much everything in the hangar at the time. Systems in both the hangar and attached office reportedly activated.

Concord's WCNC reports that between 500 and 700 gallons of the foam were discharged, out of approximately 1,200 gallons contained in the system. Again, firefighters haven't figured out why the system tripped -- but there is no evidence of a fire.

That left workers with the laborous task of cleaning up the foam -- using fans, shovels, and cardboard boxes, among other items, to gather up the soapy mess.

ANN reader Ralph Lacomba sent us his pics of the aftermath.

Firefighters say the foam poses no environmental risk, and no aircraft were damaged... although is it just us, or does the Gulfstream just look disgusted at the indignity of it all?

FMI: www.hendrickmotorsports.com