An investigation is continuing into a fire at the Qantas domestic terminal at Melbourne Airport on Friday night, which led to disruptions for thousands of passengers.<\/p>\n
Terminal 1 had to be evacuated, and planes were brought to a standstill on the tarmac after a fire broke out around 7:20pm.<\/p>\n
Fire Rescue Victoria and the airport’s aviation teams were called to the terminal to put out the blaze, which was not considered suspicious.<\/p>\n
Victoria Police said nobody was injured.<\/p>\n
No details have been released about the cause of the fire or where exactly it happened in the terminal.<\/p>\n
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The evacuation of the terminal caused the cancellation of a number of flights on Friday night. (ABC News: Kala Mason)<\/p>\n
A Melbourne Airport spokesperson said the fire was quickly extinguished and the cause was being investigated.<\/p>\n
“Emergency services completed a full assessment of the terminal and, when it was deemed safe, we worked to support passengers to return to the terminal and recommence operations,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“The safety of passengers and staff was our top priority throughout this incident, and we appreciate the patience and cooperation shown by travellers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Passengers travelling on Qantas domestic services are advised to check directly with the airline for the latest updates on their flight.”<\/p>\n
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A number of planes were banked up on the tarmac at Melbourne Airport on Friday night. (ABC News: Craig Dixon)<\/p>\n
Some passengers waited at Melbourne Airport for five hours to try to secure replacement flights or accommodation.<\/p>\n
One man told the ABC on Friday night it was the culmination of a day of travel chaos.<\/p>\n
“I was booked on a flight with Virgin and they cancelled, so they very kindly re-booked me with Qantas for this evening, and now it’s been cancelled,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Apparently, I finally have a flight with Jetstar back to Launceston tomorrow morning at 7:20am.”<\/p>\n