Local

Firefighters Injured in Escalator Fire at Atlanta’s Airport

September 3rd, 2013

Several firefighters received minor injuries Tuesday morning while battling a fire at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The fire also caused long security lines on a busy day after the Labor Day Weekend.

Crews responded to a fire that started on an escalator connected to Concourse T around 5:20 a.m. While battling the fire, two firefighters were hurt after slipping in some water but decided against receiving medical treatment.

Louis Miller is Aviation General Manager for the airport.

“Fortunately they were not seriously injured, so they’re doing okay now, they’re in a great recovery mode.”

Officials believe the fire started after an electrical spark or short in the escalator, but say the exact cause is still under investigation. The fire caused a large amount of smoke, which closed the airport’s north security checkpoint. As a result, airport security wait times reached as high as 40 minutes. Miller says around 8:30 a.m. things were back to normal.

“It was unfortunate that it happened on an extremely busy day, but I think our team responded very quickly to make sure that we protected the safety and security of the passengers flying out of the airport.”

The fire comes as the airport replaces all of its old escalators and elevators. That process is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.