Part of N.J. airport emptied amid smell of natural gas

Nov. 19, 2007

NEWARK, N.J. -- A security checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport was evacuated Saturday as authorities investigated a possible gas leak, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said. Transportation Security Administration workers in the airport's Terminal B noticed a strong odor around 11 a.m. that they thought smelled like natural gas, Port Authority spokesman Pasquale DiFulco said. The checkpoint reopened around 1:30 p.m. Emergency workers treated 11 people, including one person who fainted, fire-department spokesman John Brown said. Delays were limited to three outbound flights, DiFulco said. The cause of the odor was being investigated.