Houston airport fire grounds United Airlines flights
A fire Sunday morning in a laundry room at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a 90-minute ground stop on all United Airlines flights to Houston, officials said.
The FAA issued the ground stop shortly before 5:30 a.m. local time and lifted it about 7 a.m., officials told ABC Houston station KTRK.
The fire broke out around 4 a.m. in the airport's Terminal C in an employee laundry room, airport officials said on Twitter. The FAA issued the ground at the request of United Airlines, the agency said in a statement.
All United Airlines flights to Houston, a major hub for the airline were held at their departure cities due to the fire, authorities said.
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Houston Fire Department firefighters quickly responded to the laundry room blaze, evacuated all employees and put out the fire.
"There's a whole lot of damage from the smoke and the heat. There's not a whole lot of fire damage because it seemed like a small fire that spread over time," Brian Cresswell, a spokesman for the Houston Fire Department.
A fire in an employee laundry room in Terminal C has been extinguished by @HoustonFire. There still might be a lingering smell of smoke. United Airlines passengers might be delayed as ops return to normal this morning. Please verify status of your flight if you’re coming to IAH.
— Houston Bush Airport (@iah) February 5, 2023
No one was injured in the fire and no damage was reported to Terminal C, officials said.
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"There still might be a lingering smell of smoke. United Airlines passengers might be delayed as ops return to normal this morning," airport officials said in a statement posted on Twitter at 8:23 a.m. local time.
Houston airport fire grounds United Airlines flights originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
