ST. LOUIS – An evacuation in Terminal 2 at St. Louis Lambert International Airport sent travelers out into the cold Tuesday evening.
Officials said around 6 p.m., alarms went off in a restaurant due to a burnt bagel.
Airport officials said the evacuation lasted about 5 minutes.
Southwest Airlines released a statement regarding the incident:
A small number of Southwest Airlines Customers were evacuated this evening following a fire alarm inside the Terminal 2 at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. We are working with the TSA to re-screen those impacted Customers so we can get them to their destinations as quickly as possible.
Passengers said they heard the alarms blaring and a voice on the intercom telling them to evacuate.
An airport spokesperson estimated 30 to 40 people went for the exits. Each of those passengers had to go back through security before they could catch their flights.
“For a while, I was convinced I wasn't going to make the flight. We're on the last flight to Boston, and I was convinced I wasn't going to make the flight. But they turned it around very, very quickly, got everyone through security, and it turned out to be, at least for me, a non-issue,” Claude Greer said.
He estimated the ordeal to last about half an hour.
