The air traffic control tower is seen from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport terminal, in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 15. Megan Varner/Reuters

The air traffic control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was evacuated for a time Friday night after a fire alarm and a gas smell were detected, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Just keep taxiing V then F,” one controller told a pilot according to a recording by LiveATC.net. “Were evacuating, so we are going ATC Zero, so you can call the ramp when you get close.”

“ATC Zero” means that the FAA facility is not providing any air traffic control services.

“Everyone is going downstairs, so we’ll see what is happening here,” one controller told a pilot he was directing.

“Th

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