(Halifax) A fire at St. John’s International Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador caused the passenger terminal to close late Friday night. The reopening is scheduled for Sunday evening as the cleaning continues.
The main terminal building was evacuated due to a fire on the second floor that broke out around 11:30 p.m. Friday, airport chief executive Dennis Hogan said Saturday night.
The fire started in a space in the ceiling of the departure area and was quickly extinguished by firefighters, while around 30 people were evacuated from the terminal building after the alarm went off, it said. -he adds.
The airport had originally hoped to reopen at 6 p.m. Saturday, but Hogan told a press conference that due to the cleanup, the airport will remain closed to the public until 5 p.m. Sunday, with the first flights resuming. to 19h.
He said the airport will provide further updates as needed.
The airport continues to assess its baggage systems and pre-boarding screen systems to ensure they are all in good working order, he said.
Some doors will remain closed in the departure area of the building’s east wing while repairs and remediation continue, Hogan added.
“In any type of incident like this, there’s usually some smoke damage and soot residue that’s in the area, and on top of that there’s water damage from the water that was needed to put out the fire,” he explained.
Mr. Hogan said the fire was not considered suspicious and there were no injuries. The cause remains under investigation.
On Saturday evening, he estimated that 36 flights had been delayed or canceled.
The airfield remained operational for cargo and military flights, with the closure only affecting commercial flights.
The airport is urging passengers to check with airlines for the status of their flights before heading to the airport on Sunday.
