Restaurant fire fills JFK Airport's Terminal 4 with smoke

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Friday, June 30, 2017
Restaurant fire fills JFK Airport's Terminal 4 with smoke
Dave Evans has the latest on a grease fire that erupted in Terminal 4 of JFK Airport.

JAMAICA, Queens (WABC) -- There was a scare at JFK Airport in Queens after a restaurant fire filled a terminal with smoke Thursday afternoon.

The fire broke out at about 3:30 p.m. in Terminal 4.

The Port Authority said it appears to have been a grease fire in a vent at the Panda Express near Gate B23.

As a result, the security checkpoint and departure level were shut down.

The retail level was briefly evacuated due to smoke.

Emergency crews responded to the scene and were able to get the fire under control. Firefighters ventilated the terminal.

Departures resumed at about 5 p.m., but the situation led to major flight delays.

Delays of up to two hours continued Thursday evening because of the backlog of passengers going through security checkpoints.

Here's another photo showing the inside of the terminal:

And here's a photo showing firefighters battling the fire from outside the terminal:

No injuries were reported.