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Airport concourse shut down after smoke in men's bathroom
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A section of Pittsburgh International Airport was shut down Thursday for about three hours because of smoke and a suspicious bag.
Airport spokeswoman JoAnn Jenny said the Airport Authority received an emergency call about smoke around gate D80 around 7:30 a.m.
About an hour later, airport firefighters and operations personnel found a satchel in a plumbing access panel in the wall of a men's bathroom. The panel was charred.
The D Concourse was shut down as a precaution and flights, including Delta, American and United Airlines flights, were redirected to Concourse A.
Authorities believe the smoke may have come from a lit cigarette that was tossed into the wall space, lighting other debris that had been tossed back there, Ms. Jenny said. They still did not know why the satchel -- which was examined with X-rays and found to contain only a sleeping mat -- was stuffed into the wall.
First Published December 7, 2012 12:00 am
