A small electrical explosion prompted an evacuation of Concourse D at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Tuesday.
According to Reuters, the explosion occurred around 8:40 a.m. in a maintenance shed. This caused a power outage and delays. Atlanta’s NBC affiliate, WXIA-TV said the explosion affected around 35 flights, and the average delay was 30 minutes. USA Today said there were no major delays for Air Tran or Delta flights that used the concourse. Minor property damage resulted from the small explosion, but there was no fire or smoke reported. No one was injured.
CBS reported that passengers were evacuated from the north side of Concourse D to Concourse E. Passengers were able to reenter Concourse D around 10:00 a.m. All of the power was restored by 11:30 a.m.
The International Business Times reported that a unit providing power for the air-conditioning system in the concourse was what malfunctioned. The electrical explosion caused concern and probably a little anxiety as well. There was a bomb threat made near the state Capitol on Friday. However, authorities said there is no need for concern, as the two are not related. FBI Special Agent Stephen Emmett told CNN that this did not look like an act of terrorism. Airport officials also said the blast was caused by an electrical box, not a person. Emmett also told CNN that police will conduct an investigation, but not the FBI.
In other news, a bomb threat was made at Virginia’s Richmond International Airport on Tuesday, which forced an evacuation. Nothing was found after a K-9 search. Once again, there was no connection between the ATL electrical explosion and Georgia Capitol bomb threat, or between the two airports. Not a good day to be flying. Not a good day to be in Atlanta either.
