Kan. Airport Terminal Evacuates after Shuttle Bus Fire

A shuttle bus caught fire outside an airport terminal Saturday, prompting the evacuation of several hundred people for an hour, authorities said.

No serious injuries were reported, but two people who had been on the parking lot shuttle and a traffic officer were treated for smoke inhalation, said Kathleen Hefner of the Kansas City Aviation Department, which owns and operates Kansas City International Airport.

The fire broke out at the rear of the bus, where the engine is, around 9 a.m. while the vehicle was stopped at one end of the terminal. Hefner said the airport's shuttle buses are fueled by compressed natural gas stored in tanks on the vehicles' roofs.

The terminal was evacuated as a precaution, said Joe McBride, an airport spokesman.

The cause was under investigation, but officials quickly determined there was no terrorism link and no security threat, said Rich Curasi of the Transportation Security Administration.

About 500 people already in the terminal's waiting areas had to be rescreened, Curasi said. Flight delays were minimal.

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