Fire at Fiumicino Airport in Rome Caused Delays For More Than 100 International Flights

A fire broke out inside the international terminal of Fiumicino airport, Thursday, causing more than 175 cancelled flights and dozens more delays, USA Today reports.

The source of the fire was traced to an electrical short circuit in a terminal restaurant. The fire, which ultimately spread through an area of 4,000 square feet beyond the security checkpoints, took about five hours to get under control.

The terminal was engulfed in flames overnight and thick smoke could be seen rising from the building until mid-morning, which revealed the buildings a scorched facade.

"We got here and there was just a cloud of smoke and a terrible smell; the air was so bad we couldn't breathe. There weren't any masks or anything," said passenger Andrea Lauretti, quoted by Reuters.

The incident greatly affected the passengers booked to fly for that day, and while airport staff is doing its best to resume its schedules, it remains unclear how long the disruptions will last.

So far, they have responded to the delays by transferring flights to other terminals.

Aside from the 19 international flights that were permitted to land at the airport early Thursday, all other flights were either cancelled or diverted.

There were no deaths but several people were treated for smoke inhalation.

Fiumicino airport is one of the busiest airports of Italy, catering to about 130,000 passengers every day.

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