Charlotte airport kitchen fire contained, prompted atrium evacuation, road closure
Fire crews responded to a kitchen fire at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport Wednesday afternoon, CLT officials said on Twitter.
The fire was contained before 4 p.m. Wednesday, airport officials said on Twitter. As of 3:39 p.m., fire crews were getting ready to purge the smoke, the airport said.
And as of 3:48 p.m., evacuated passengers were being brought back into the terminal as normal passenger activity resumed, according to the airport.
There was no immediate word about what caused the fire.
People first started tweeting about the fire on Twitter at 2:51 p.m., as travelers at airport shared videos of smoke rising from the roof of the airport. Passengers were moved away from the atrium area and into the concourses, the airport said on Twitter.
Some passengers flying into Charlotte Wednesday probably saw their flights delayed — flights to Charlotte were temporarily held at their origin airport until 4:15 p.m., according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
The atrium area of the airport includes shops and restaurants like 1897 Market, Auntie Anne’s, Brookwood Farms BBQ and Chick-fil-A.
The airport warned passengers traveling to the airport from Charlotte to allow extra time due to heavy traffic after the roadway was temporarily closed. And passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline before leaving home, according to CLT.
Passengers react to fire and rain
Passengers took to Twitter and elsewhere on social media to share photos and videos of smoke and evacuation efforts.
“When I thought I saw it all in the crazy world of flying... evacuated from terminal at Charlotte Dougla Airport due to fire,” one person said on Twitter.
And from another traveler: “Charlotte- Douglas Airport Terminal 2 roof on fire! Evacuation in progress. Arrivals can’t get to gates. In heavy rain. Talk about delays!”
Added a third person, “just landed in charlotte and the airport is literally on fire. nice.”
CLT is a very busy airport
The Charlotte airport saw a dramatic drop in passenger numbers in early 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic hit the state.
But the airport is well on its way to recovery, airport officials reported in January, with a nearly 60% increase in passenger numbers from 2020 to 2021.
The airport saw 43 million travelers last year. That number is still lower than the record-breaking 50.2 million passengers who traveled to, from and through CLT in 2019, according to the airport.
Still, even during the pandemic, CLT was the sixth busiest airport in the country in passenger numbers in 2020, according to the airport.
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 3:14 PM.
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