A check-in area at London’s Heathrow airport was briefly evacuated on Monday due to a possible hazardous substance incident, but police later said no harmful substances were found at the scene.
“Service and conducted a thorough search of the area. No trace of any adverse substance was found,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said in a statement.
“Around twenty people reported an injury. None were deemed to be life-threatening or life-changing. Enquiries are ongoing,” the police statement said, adding that specialist officers and the London ambulance and fire services attended the scene.
A Heathrow spokesperson told CNN that emergency services confirmed the terminal was safe to reopen.
The London Fire Brigade said in a statement that “the cause of the incident remains under investigation.”
“Firefighters responded to a possible hazardous materials incident at Heathrow Airport,” the statement said. “Specialist crews were deployed to carry out an assessment of the scene, and Terminal 4 check-in was evacuated as a precaution whilst firefighters conducted operations.”
London Fire Brigade said it was called about the incident at 5:01 p.m. local time (12:01 p.m. ET) and crews from at least three fire stations in the surrounding area were sent to the airport.
The London Ambulance Service said its crews treated 21 patients at the airport terminal before taking one patient to the hospital.
“Emergency services have confirmed Terminal 4 is safe to reopen and we are doing everything we can to ensure all flights to depart as planned today,” a Heathrow spokesperson said after the incident concluded. “We are very sorry for the disruption caused, the safety and security of our passengers and colleagues is our number one priority.”
A file photo shows the exterior of London Heathrow Airport of Terminal 4 in March. – Leon Neal/Getty Images/FILE
“We encourage passengers to check with their airline for the latest information about their flight this evening and our colleagues will be on hand into the night to assist,” the Heathrow spokesperson added.
Terminal 4 is home to check-in counters for AirFrance, Bulgaria Air, China Southern, Etihad Airways, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Vueling and WestJet, among others.
The terminal, situated to the south of the airport’s runways next to the cargo terminal, was closed for two years during the coronavirus pandemic, and it reopened on June 14, 2022. Heathrow said parts of the terminal underwent refurbishment during the closure, including the air-conditioning system, bathrooms and baggage screening machines.
Heathrow has been plagued by a string of recent incidents. The airport completely shut down in March following a fire in an electrical substation a few miles away, which disrupted the local power supply, throwing more than 1,000 flights into disarray and forcing pilots to divert their journeys in midair.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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