Small fire at McCarran airport causes brief evacuation
A small fire at a McCarran International Airport baggage claim carousel caused people to briefly evacuate the area around noon Saturday.
An airport employee reported smoke coming from underneath baggage claim carousel one, located in Terminal 1, about noon Saturday, airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said. When additional airport personnel arrived in the area, they saw flames from underneath the carousel.
An airport employee was able to immediately extinguish the flames, which were in the control mechanisms of the carousel, a level below where airport passengers pick up their luggage, Crews said.
Alarms that were triggered by the smoke caused people to briefly evacuate the area and parts of the terminal, she said. No one was injured.
The Clark County Fire Department were called to the airport to investigate the fire.
Crews said it appeared that the fire was caused by debris in the mechanics of the baggage claim carousel. There was no damage to any airport passenger’s property, she said.
That carousel should be functioning again “in a few hours,” Crews said about 2:20 p.m. Other carousels in the area were unharmed.
Further information was not immediately available.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
