NEED TO KNOW
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A meteorologist continued his live report after a studio light caught fire on set in Arkansas on Saturday, June 6
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Meteorologist Noah Simmons continued reporting about tornado warnings as a producer worked to tackle the fire
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Simmons clarified the smoke seen on-air was from a fire extinguisher, and no injuries were reported
A meteorologist in Arkansas is being celebrated after continuing his live broadcast as a fire broke out on set.
On Saturday, June 6, Noah Simmons remained calm and collected after a studio light caught fire during his report of a tornado threat in Fort Smith, according to CBS News.
“So we just had a fire in the studio but we got two tornado warnings,” Simmons said while covering his nose with his button-down shirt. “So we got to keep tracking this and covering this live.
While viewers watching the CBS affiliate KFSM-TV (channel 5) broadcast could see the studio appearing to fill with smoke, Simmons later clarified in a Facebook livestream that it was gases from a fire extinguisher.
No injuries were reported thanks to producers working to put out the fire, per CBS News’ Instagram page.
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“He wanted to make sure people were informed so they would be safe, what a legend,” one person wrote under the CBS post.
“❤️❤️HERO MAKING SURE OTHERS DIDN’T GET HURT👏👏👏,” a second commenter added.
Speaking about the on-air fire during the livestream on Facebook, Simmons said he first noticed something was wrong when “some lights started flickering in the studio.”
“Five, 10 seconds later, I start to smell a little bit of smoke,” he continued. “That’s no normal.”
A few seconds later, Simmons saw the light in the studio catch fire.
Noah Simmons
Credit: Facebook/Meteorologist Noah Simmons
“In the stream I use the word ‘lamp,’ I don’t know why I used the word ‘lamp,’ it was actually a studio light that caught on fire. So that happened, it’s in flames. The studio light is lofted up in the ceiling,” Simmons continued in the livestream.
Simmons added that he was the only one present in the studio at the time of the fire. “That’s when I walked off camera a little bit and kind of said, ‘Guys, we have a fire happening in the studio right now,’ ” he said in the livestream.
A producer then used a fire extinguisher to attack the flames, the weather reporter added: “It was a little tough to breath that’s why I had my shirt over myself but when you’re tracking two tornado warnings at the time, I felt there was a need to keep going.”
Simmons said despite having a tickle in his throat and waking up with watery eyes, he’s in good condition, and added that the station had been “gracious” in giving him access to medical services.
Simmons is not the only reporter who has had an unexpected interruption during a live broadcast.
In March, PEOPLE reported on a live bear crashing local reporter Erin Myers’ KTLA segment in Monrovia, California.
Myers had been reporting about a previous bear attack when the animal appeared near the crew during the station’s 9 a.m. newscast.
“You can see the bear actually walking into the trap — or no, it was going to, but now it’s walking out,” Myers said as she stepped back from the scene.
While the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was already on the scene due to attempting to find the bear that was involved in the previous attack, authorities could not confirm if the bear in the live broadcast was the same one.
PEOPLE reached out to CBS News for further comment.
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