HOUSTON, Texas — A kitchen fire at a restaurant inside George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, sent a column of black smoke over Terminal C late Tuesday afternoon and shut down the north end of the terminal for cleanup.
Houston Fire Department crews were called at about 4:21 p.m. to the blaze in Terminal C North. The city’s active incident tracker listed it as a one-alarm fire with 10 units on the way. Smoke and flames were visible from outside the building, and travelers aboard planes taxiing nearby captured the scene.
The airport put out its first public update at 5:04 p.m., saying travelers closest to the burning restaurant had been shifted elsewhere in the building to be safe. By 7:20 p.m. firefighters had wrapped up, but the north section of the terminal stayed closed for cleanup. The rest of Terminal C and the airport’s other terminals kept operating.
Terminal C is the hub for United Airlines and United Express, and the airline said the fire was not affecting its flights. The airport urged travelers to check with their airline for the latest gate and terminal details before heading out.
It was the second fire or smoke scare at the airport in three days. On Saturday morning, passengers had to leave a United Express plane after smoke was reported in the cabin. No one was hurt in that case.
No injuries were reported from Tuesday’s fire. Officials had not released a cause or said when the closed part of the terminal would reopen, so travelers flying out of Terminal C should allow extra time to reach their gates.
Section: More Houston TX crime news
Filed under: Houston TX Public Safety News
