A live weather broadcast in Arkansas turned into two emergencies at once on June 6, when KFSM-TV meteorologist Noah Simmons kept covering tornado warnings while a studio light caught fire above him. Viewers noticed, because it is hard not to notice a forecaster calmly discussing severe weather while also trying not to breathe in whatever was happening inside the studio.
Simmons, who works for the Fort Smith station, was on air tracking active tornado warnings when the fire broke out behind the scenes. Rather than leave the broadcast, he stayed with the weather coverage, telling viewers what was happening while pulling his shirt over his nose.
“So we just had a fire in the studio, but we got two tornado warnings,” Simmons said during the broadcast. “So we got to keep tracking this and covering this live.”
What happened inside the KFSM-TV studio
The clip spread quickly across social media, where viewers praised Simmons for staying focused on the immediate weather threat. It was an unusual bit of live television, though “unusual” is doing some generous work here.
Simmons later explained the sequence during a Facebook livestream. He said the first sign of trouble came when the studio lights started flickering.
“Five, 10 seconds later, I start to smell a little bit of smoke,” he said. “That’s not normal.”
Moments after that, Simmons saw that a light above him had caught fire.
“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 light was mounted up near the ceiling,” he explained.
Why Simmons stayed on air during tornado warnings
Simmons said he was alone in the studio when he realized what was happening. He stepped slightly off camera to alert colleagues nearby.
“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.
A producer then came in with a fire extinguisher and put out the flames while Simmons continued covering the two tornado warnings. Later, Simmons clarified that what many viewers thought was smoke filling the studio was largely gas from the extinguisher.
“It was a little tough to breathe, that’s why I had my shirt over myself, but when you’re tracking two tornado warnings at the time, I felt the immediate weather threat mattered more,” Simmons said.
No injuries reported after the studio fire
No injuries were reported. Simmons said afterward that he had a sore throat and watery eyes, but otherwise felt fine. He also said he had access to medical services through the station.
The moment caught people’s attention online because it showed the less polished side of emergency broadcasting: people making fast decisions in imperfect conditions while trying to keep the public informed. In this case, Simmons had a fire above him, tornado warnings on the map, and just enough calm to keep talking through both.
