A small fire broke out in a baggage conveyor belt at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Saturday, delaying several flights and forcing nearly 2,000 people to evacuate, firefighters said.
No one was injured in the mechanical fire, which broke out about 11:45 a.m. when a bearing seized up in part of a conveyor belt, and caused friction and heat that set the belt on fire, said Broward Sheriff's Office Fire-Rescue Capt. David Erdman.
The fire triggered an automatic sprinkler system, which kept the blaze under control until BSO firefighters extinguished it, Erdman said.
Firefighters at the scene estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 people were evacuated, Erdman said.
''It happened at a busy time of day,'' said airport spokesman Jim Reynolds, who believed at least several hundred people were evacuated.
Several flights were delayed, throwing off flight schedules for several hours, said Reynolds. The area of the airport where the fire started is primarily occupied by Delta Airlines, he said.
The fire broke out in an area near the airplanes, one level beneath the terminal's main passenger areas, Erdman said.
Reynolds said there had been at least one or two similar conveyor belt fires at the airport in the past 10 years.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/10945990.htm
No one was injured in the mechanical fire, which broke out about 11:45 a.m. when a bearing seized up in part of a conveyor belt, and caused friction and heat that set the belt on fire, said Broward Sheriff's Office Fire-Rescue Capt. David Erdman.
The fire triggered an automatic sprinkler system, which kept the blaze under control until BSO firefighters extinguished it, Erdman said.
Firefighters at the scene estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 people were evacuated, Erdman said.
''It happened at a busy time of day,'' said airport spokesman Jim Reynolds, who believed at least several hundred people were evacuated.
Several flights were delayed, throwing off flight schedules for several hours, said Reynolds. The area of the airport where the fire started is primarily occupied by Delta Airlines, he said.
The fire broke out in an area near the airplanes, one level beneath the terminal's main passenger areas, Erdman said.
Reynolds said there had been at least one or two similar conveyor belt fires at the airport in the past 10 years.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/10945990.htm