UNC-Chapel Hill Plant Blaze Injures Firefighter

Officials said the incident began at the

North Chiller Plant

near the university's Bell Tower at about 4 p.m., when an area in one of the cooling towers caught fire.

Chapel Hill firefighters and Orange County EMS personnel responded to the scene, and the fire was contained shortly before 5 p.m. The injured firefighter was taken to UNC Hospitals, where he was listed in fair condition Thursday evening,

The affected chiller plant supplies chilled water for air conditioning on campus. Other chiller plants have enough capacity to handle any need for air conditioning. Other campus services were unaffected by the blaze.

UNC's Fire Marshal's Office said it is too early in the investigation to make any determinations about the cause. The investigation is continuing.