Terminal Evacuated Due To Fire At Major U.S. Airport

Houston Fire Department units responded Tuesday afternoon to a fire at a restaurant in Terminal C North at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

Airport authorities confirmed the response and stated that passengers in the immediate area were relocated as a precaution. Firefighters arrived on the scene around 4:30 p.m. local time and remained on scene as of 5 p.m., according to a report from Fox 26 Houston.

“Houston Fire Department is responding to a fire at a restaurant in Terminal C North at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Passengers in the immediate area have been relocated as a precaution. We will provide updates as they become available,” the airport announced in a statement. The statement did not specify the restaurant by name, the origin of the fire, its severity, or any information regarding injuries.

One witness described the incident to Fox 26 Houston as a kitchen fire that produced a large plume of dark smoke visible outside the terminal. Viewer-submitted video and aerial images from local news helicopters showed Houston Fire Department vehicles and personnel at the terminal, with smoke rising near the building.

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Fire at a restaurant at IAH
Reportedly the restaurant name is…embers.
United says it’s having only minor impacts as it’s shifting flights to unused gates away from the fire response. No reports of passenger injuries per UA.
Video from a passenger ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/z8eCmPn9K5

— Kris Van Cleave (@krisvancleave) October 27, 2026

United Airlines, which operates extensively from Terminal C, stated that the fire was not affecting flights. Subsequent information from CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave indicated that United described only minor impacts, with the airline shifting some flights to unused gates away from the response area.

Van Cleave also reported that United had no reports of passenger injuries. Unconfirmed accounts circulating among passengers and observers identified the location as the Ember restaurant near Gate C12 in Terminal C, though these accounts have not been independently confirmed by airport or fire officials.

No official updates from Houston Fire Department or Houston Airports had confirmed the fire’s status, containment, or full operational impact as of the latest available reports late Tuesday afternoon.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport ranked as the 15th-busiest airport in the United States by passenger enplanements in 2025, according to preliminary FAA data, with 23,265,028 boardings. Total passenger traffic at the airport reached approximately 48.1 million in 2025, equating to an average of roughly 132,000 passengers traveling through IAH each day.

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