As airports nationwide contend with residual flight cancellations and delays from the government shutdown, travelers at San Jose International Airport were hit extra hard Friday evening when a false fire alarm resulted in a full evacuation of one of its terminals.
As NBC Bay Area reports, thousands of travelers experienced a chaotic Friday evening at San Jose International Airport after a false fire alarm triggered a full evacuation of the airport’s Terminal B. The outlet spoke to disgruntled passengers (in the video report below) who were forced to evacuate just as they were about to board their planes. They were then required to go through security a second time — after waiting about an hour for the fire alarm to be resolved.
“The airport is working through the process of reopening now,” Lynn Lunsford, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, told NBC Bay Area Friday night. “The remaining departures for the evening should be delayed until after the terminal re-opens, and arrivals are being held off the gates until things are back up and running.”
As of Saturday morning, flights in the terminal appeared to be back to normal, according to the airport’s website.
Related: SFO Sees Nearly 400 Delays, 55 Cancellations as Storm Conditions Collide With FAA-Ordered Cuts
Image: San Jose Mineta International Airport/Facebook