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Passengers allowed back inside Charlotte airport terminal after fire

A restaurant fire in the main food court at Charlotte Douglas International Airport led to the evacuation of a thousand passengers Wednesday.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A fire at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Wednesday afternoon disrupted passengers and caused a temporary closure of the airport's food court and atrium.

Around 2 p.m., the fire started in a restaurant kitchen fire, airport officials said. Smoke from the fire could be seen in photos and videos posted by passengers on social media.

The Charlotte Fire Department confirmed a fire at the Burger King was the cause of the alarm. About a thousand passengers were removed from the area into either the adjacent concourses or outside. Other parts of the airport remained open during the firefighting efforts.

By 4 p.m., the airport was being fully reopened and passengers, some of whom had to wait outside before checking in for departing flights, were allowed to enter the airport.

Credit: Kristen Lawrence

Arrivals and departures from Charlotte Douglas continued as scheduled, according to the airport. Passengers were advised to check with their airlines and expect delays. 

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Multiple people shared photos and videos on Twitter of smoke rising from the airport terminal. 

"Just landed at #Charlotte #CLT only to see this craziness!" tweeted JD Feuerstein, showing a video of smoke pouring from the airport. 

On Thursday, Charlotte Fire Department determined the cause of the fire was accidental, originating in the restaurant's hood system. 

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